CDC puts 29 Pennsylvania counties at medium COVID-19 community level. See latest data
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rated only one Pennsylvania county at a high COVID-19 community level in its Thursday update, down from three high counties last week.
As of Oct. 21, Crawford County was at a high COVID-19 community level for the second consecutive week, and 29 Pennsylvania counties were at a medium level. Medium level counties included Clinton, Union, Snyder, Juniata, Mifflin, Huntingdon and others.
Centre County was at a low community level, along with much of the commonwealth’s western region.
The CDC’s COVID-19 community levels are updated every Thursday and based on metrics from the past seven days, including new hospital admissions per 100,000 people, average percent of staffed, inpatient beds occupied by COVID patients and new cases per 100,000 people.
The federal agency advises people in high community level areas to wear a mask indoors and on public transportation, and people at a higher risk of severe illness should consider precautions in medium level areas.
COVID-19 in Centre County and across Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 10,750 new COVID-19 cases statewide between Oct. 11 and Oct. 17, the most recent day for which data were available. The agency reported 12,868 new cases from Oct. 5 to Oct. 11.
The CDC reports the commonwealth’s weekly case rate per 100,000 residents was 103.5 as of Oct. 19, the most recent day for which data were available. The federal agency also reported 119 COVID-19 deaths over the same 7-day period.
Hospitalization numbers are up slightly from last week. PDOH reported Wednesday 1,228 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 across the commonwealth, including 154 adults in intensive care units and 64 people on ventilators. The state agency reported last week 1,183 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19.
PDOH reports 20.7% of adult ICU beds are available and just 9.9% of pediatric ICU beds are open, while 24.2% of pediatric non-ICU beds are available.
The CDC reports Centre County’s weekly case rate per 100,000 people is 80.06, down from 87.45 last week. The seven-day rolling new hospital admissions number is 9.5 per 100,000 individuals, and 3.6% of the county’s staffed inpatient beds are in use by patients with COVID-19.
Test positivity is at 11.75% in Centre County, according to the CDC, and the rate of tests performed has increased by 6.82% over the last seven days.
Bivalent boosters in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health reports 777,334 commonwealth residents have received a bivalent COVID-19 booster shot since Sept. 2. In Centre County, the state agency reports 14,434 people have opted for the bivalent booster so far.
Federal authorities have approved the use of bivalent booster shots for children starting at 5 years old, provided they have completed their primary vaccination series and it has been at least two months since their last shot.
Bivalent booster shot appointments are available in Centre County at certain Rite Aids, Weis Pharmacy locations, CVS and more health care providers. Most pharmacies allow you to make online appointments in advance.
This story was originally published October 21, 2022 at 1:46 PM.
