COVID cases fall again in Pennsylvania, but these 2 counties are at high community level

For the third straight week, new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania have fallen.

The state Department of Health reported 6,964 new cases of the disease for the latest week running March 1 to 7. That’s down by more than 1,500 cases from the week prior and holds with the national trend of falling case counts.

These figures do not include positives from at-home test kits and those not reported to health authorities.

The falling case confirmations come as the U.S. prepares to roll back many reporting requirements currently in place upon the expiration of the national and public health emergency declarations May 11. Beyond reporting, the expiration will also mean an end to flexibility around several programs, including Medicaid.

The virus is still spreading and killing Americans, however. For the latest reporting week, Pennsylvania saw a slight uptick in COVID deaths, with 117 new casualties bringing the state’s death toll to 50,398.

Hospitalizations continue to fall in the commonwealth. As of Wednesday, 872 patients were reportedly receiving treatment at health care facilities, down from 1,035 a week before. Ninety-eight individuals are in adult intensive care units and 39 are on ventilators.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports an seven-day new hospitalization average of 131.14 using data through Tuesday.

COVID-19 community levels in Pennsylvania

After having zero Pennsylvania counties at the CDC’s high COVID-19 community level last week, two counties were elevated to it as of the agency’s Thursday update. Cameron and Crawford counties are at high as of Friday.

In counties considered high, the CDC’s revised masking guidance recommends wearing a well-fitting mask in indoor, public places. That recommendation extends to medium-level counties for those who are more at risk for severe illness.

The levels are calculated each week and based on total new cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 people, as well as the average percent of in-patient hospital beds occupied by those with COVID-19.

While two counties were moved the high level, the number of counties at low increased.

As of Thursday, 47 Pennsylvania counties are at low and another 18 are at medium.

COVID-19 in Centre County

Centre County is among those at low this week, though Clinton, Union and Snyder are at medium.

The CDC reports 124 new cases in Centre County and a positivity rate of 11.72% as of March 6. That’s down from 12.85% last week, though the number of tests performed fell by more than 10%.

The county’s weekly case rate has held fairly steady at 76.36 per 100,000 people.

As of Friday, Mount Nittany Health was treating nine patients with COVID-19. The hospital’s census has remained between eight and 10 all week. Patients range in age from 57 to 92, and one is in the ICU.

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