April 16 update: Centre County adds 63 COVID-19 cases, 2 deaths; Pa. has 5,650 positives

Centre County reported the first COVID-19 deaths in more a than a month Friday.

The Health Department added two fatalities to bring the county’s total to 215. The most recent previous death in Centre County was reported March 13 but was later removed from the count. Before that, two deaths were reported March 6.

Overall, the state reported 56 new deaths Friday to bring the total to 25,622.

Centre County added 63 cases to bring the total to 15,591. Overall, there have been 14,229 confirmed cases and 1,362 probable cases along with 66,456 negative tests.

Pennsylvania reported 5,650 new cases, which brings the total to 1,098,502. There have been 4.27 million negative tests and 89% of people have recovered statewide.

Mount Nittany Medical Center is treating 27 COVID-19 patients between ages 28 and 89, the health system said Friday. There has been a daily average of 25 COVID patients this month, compared to a daily average of 18 patients in February.

“The past month has seen an uptick in community cases of COVID-19, and a steady increase in COVID-related hospitalizations which has us very concerned,” medical center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Upendra Thaker said in the health care system’s weekly update.

Mount Nittany Health has given 35,089 vaccines as of Friday, with another 4,305 scheduled. Anyone 16 or older can sign up for a vaccine appointment at Mount Nittany’s waitlist.

“Because it will take many months to vaccinate everyone, we cannot stress enough how essential it is that we remain vigilant in the face of this very serious virus,” Thaker said. “We are not out of the woods yet, and we must work together to stay strong and continue to consistently practice safety measures including masking, frequent hand washing and social distancing.”

Pennsylvania has administered 6.89 million vaccine doses to 4.51 million people (excluding Philadelphia and federal facilities). The state ranks fifth in the country for total doses given, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Pennsylvania has administered first doses to 41.3% of the eligible population, which ranks 10th in the country, according to the CDC.

In Centre County, 55,340 partial vaccinations and 41,012 full vaccinations have been given to 61,098 people.

Statewide, the average daily number of hospitalized patients is about 3,700 below the December peak but has been increasing over the past few weeks. The total number of patients rose by more than 1,000 in the past month.

The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code, and the change from the previous day (if any), is as follows, according to the Health Department.

• 16801 (State College): 5,325 (+19)
• 16823 (Bellefonte/Pleasant Gap): 2,535 (+12)
• 16803 (State College): 1,352 (+3)
• 16802 (University Park): 1,286 (+6)
• 16686 (Tyrone): 1,023 (+8)
• 16866 (Philipsburg): 821 (+3)
• 16870 (Port Matilda): 485 (+1)
• 16841 (Howard): 405
• 16828 (Centre Hall): 290 (+1)
• 16827 (Boalsburg): 275
• 16875 (Spring Mills): 274 (+3)
• 16845 (Karthaus): 266 (+1)
• 16822 (Beech Creek): 203 (+2)
• 16844 (Julian): 191
• 16666 (Osceola Mills): 190 (+1)
• 16853 (Milesburg): 128 (+1)
• 16877 (Warriors Mark): 115 (+2)
• 16874 (Snow Shoe): 100
• 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 84
• 16826 (Blanchard): 78
• 16854 (Millheim): 74 (+3)
• 16829 (Clarence): 67
• 16872 (Rebersburg): 65
• 16820 (Aaronsburg): 57 (+1)
• 16851 (Lemont): 57 (+1)
• 16859 (Moshannon): 45
• 16856 (Mingoville): 29
• 16677 (Sandy Ridge): 28
• 16868 (Pine Grove Mills): 28
• 16832 (Coburn): 27
• 16860 (Munson): 27
• 16852 (Madisonburg): 20 (+1)
• 16882 (Woodward): 14 (+4)
• 16835 (Unionville): 13
• 16864 (Orviston): 13
• 16804 (State College): 11
• 16805 (State College): 1-4

The state does not provide specific numbers when there are fewer than five cases to protect patient privacy, and does not identify exactly where a case occurred in a ZIP code that spans multiple counties.

Centre County long-term care facilities added one resident case, one employee case and one death. There have been 726 resident cases, 158 employee cases and 164 deaths in 18 nursing/personal care homes in the county.

This story was originally published April 16, 2021 at 12:55 PM.