COVID cases in Pennsylvania decline slightly. See the latest CDC community levels map
New reported COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania fell slightly over the last week, according to the latest figures from the state’s health department.
For the most recent seven-day period, from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, 12,040 new cases were reported across the Keystone State. That’s down from 13,036 cases reported for the previous week.
Continuing COVID infections in the U.S. this fall come as many areas have also begun to see a rise in other respiratory illnesses like respiratory syncytial virus (commonly known as RSV) and the annual flu.
Under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest update to its COVID-19 community levels metric, four Pennsylvania counties fall into the high category. They are Mercer, Sullivan, Bradford and Susquehanna.
In counties were the community level is considered high, the federal health agency recommends all individuals mask in indoor, public places.
The community levels metric is calculated weekly and based on new cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals, as well as the percent of COVID-occupied inpatient beds at area facilities.
The remainder of the state’s counties are split roughly in half, with 31 at low community levels and 32 scored at medium.
Individuals who are at greater risk for severe illness should consider masking and other precautions, even at a medium community level, per the CDC.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, for the latest reporting week, running Nov. 1 to Nov. 7, 65 individuals died of COVID-19, including 17 deaths reporting Nov. 3 alone. Deaths from the virus have continued at a relatively stable rate since mid-March, per state data, after last winter’s peak.
To date, 47,994 Pennsylvanians have died of the virus, and they are among the U.S. death toll of 1,070,947.
The CDC puts the state’s positivity rate between 10 and 14.9% over the past week, with a seven-day average new hospital admission figure of 181.29.
COVID-19 in Centre County
Centre County remains at a low community level as of Friday.
For the week ending Nov. 9, the CDC reports 120 new COVID-19 cases in the county, with a case rate of 73.90 per 100,000.
The positivity rate is also down, now at 7.55%, and the number of test performed has fallen more than 18% to 1,305 reported.
Mount Nittany Health reports nine patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Friday. That’s up slightly from six last weekend. The hospitalized patients range in age from 27 to 92, and none are in intensive care units or on ventilators.
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