COVID-19 case totals have more than doubled during the past week in Centre County
Mount Nittany Health is urging community members to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as case numbers continue to climb in Centre County.
Between last Saturday and Friday, 41 cases were reported in the county. That’s more than double the previous week’s case total of 19. With a week left in July, the county’s monthly case total (76) has already surpassed that of June (62).
The highest one-day total was 10, which was reported Wednesday. Before this week, daily cases hadn’t reached double digits since late May.
There have been 16,996 cases — 15,483 confirmed and 1,513 probable — along with 72,252 negative tests. The state Health Department has not reported any COVID-related deaths in the county since July 2; the total remains at 228.
Mount Nittany Medical Center is treating eight COVID patients between the ages of 48 and 100, a spokesperson said Friday. This month, there have been 26 COVID patients with an average daily count of five. Last month, there were 40 patients with a daily average of seven, health system officials said.
The “vast majority” of these patients, said Tiffany Cabibbo, chief nursing officer and executive vice president, patient care services for Mount Nittany Health, “are not fully vaccinated. The COVID vaccine is highly effective and our best defense to return to normal activities. We have vaccinated more than 45,000 people in our community, and we strongly encourage everyone to receive it.”
The state Health Department’s vaccine dashboard shows 151,111 vaccinations have been given to Centre County residents — 77,197 full and 73,914 partial. Since last Friday, 862 doses have been administered.
Vaccine appointments with Mount Nittany Health can be made at mountnittany.org/COVID and are open to those who are not health system patients. Information about other providers can be found at vaccines.gov.
Mount Nittany officials also reminded residents “to continue to stay vigilant against COVID and exercise behaviors such as masking, social distancing and cleaning your hands often.”
Where to get tested
The COVID-19 testing site at the Centre County Recycling & Refuse Authority Interpretive Center is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through July 31. The site is available through a partnership between AMI Expeditionary Healthcare and the state Health Department.
The picture in PA
Pennsylvania reported 3,208 cases between last Saturday and Friday. Daily totals ranged from a low of 212 on Monday to a high of 569 on Tuesday. The week before, there were 1,994 cases.
The state has had a total of 1,218,975 cases. There have been 4,867,834 negative cases, and 97% of people have recovered statewide.
The average number of hospitalized patients continues to decline, the Health Department said. However, the total number of patients increased this week. Across Pennsylvania, 347 people were hospitalized, an increase of 100 compared to the previous Friday.
The statewide death total rose to 27,820 after 34 deaths this week. The week before, there were 49 fatalities.
Across Pennsylvania, excluding Philadelphia and federal facilities, 11,495,999 vaccine doses have been given and 5,648,861 people are fully vaccinated. Demand for vaccines continues to drop, as an average of 11,200 people were vaccinated each day this week. That’s 900 fewer people than the previous seven days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Pennsylvania ranks fifth among the states for total doses administered. The state has vaccinated 62.2% of all residents 18 and older, the CDC said.
Positivity rates rise
With the increase in cases, it’s no surprise the county and state positivity rates increased this week.
The state’s early warning monitoring system dashboard shows Centre County’s rate rose to 2.9% for the period July 16-Thursday. The week before, the positivity rate was 1.8%. Pennsylvania’s rate now stands at 2.8%. The previous week’s rate was 1.7%.
Across the state, positivity rates range from 0 in Jefferson County to 16.2% in Crawford County.
This story was originally published July 24, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "COVID-19 case totals have more than doubled during the past week in Centre County."