New COVID cases, hospitalizations decline in PA. CDC scores 1 county at high level
New confirmed cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations declined during the past week in Pennsylvania.
In the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Thursday update to its COVID-19 community levels, the agency revised down the number of counties at a high level from seven to one. The number of counties at medium dropped only slightly, however, from 44 to 42.
Pike County is rated at a high community level as of Jan. 12. In counties at that level, the CDC recommends wearing a mask in public, indoor settings. Those at greater risk for severe disease should consider masking and other preventative measures at medium, the CDC says.
The seven counties at high last week have all been revised down, including Mercer County, which has been at high for a number of weeks but is at a medium level as of Jan. 13.
Centre County moved from a low to a medium level.
The CDC updates its community levels metric each Thursday based on new cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 people (seven-day totals) and the percent of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-positive patients (a seven-day average).
COVID-19 in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health dashboard indicates new cases have fallen from last week.
For the reporting week running Jan. 4 to 10, the state health agency recorded 14,713 new cases, compared to 15,177 during the previous seven-day period. These case counts generally do not include cases confirmed through at-home testing.
Hospitalizations also fell in Pennsylvania over the past week. The state reports as of Jan. 11, 1,567 individuals were receiving treatment, down from 1,747.
The number of the most serious cases — individuals in adult intensive care units — held roughly steady at 203, and the number on ventilators fell from 97 to 77.
Across the U.S., the CDC indicates cases and hospitalization are down, though deaths from COVID-19 are up. This comes as a new version of omicron — XBB.1.5 — takes hold as the dominant variant in the U.S.
Deaths are up in Pennsylvania, as well. For the latest reporting week, the health department counted 229 COVID-19 deaths, up from 142 the prior week and bringing the state’s death toll to 49,263 since the onset of the pandemic.
COVID-19 in Centre County
After weeks at a low community level, the CDC revised Centre County up to a medium as of Thursday.
The federal health agency reports 134 new cases confirmed there over the past reporting week, up from 127.
The positivity rate is also up, at 10.93% compared to 9.92% the prior week. The number of reported tests administered increased by a little less than 13%, per the CDC.
Mount Nittany Health reports 17 COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Friday, the highest patient census there for the week of Jan. 6 to 13.
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