Mount Nittany Medical Center ‘alarmed’ by soaring COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of COVID-19 patients at Mount Nittany Medical Center more than doubled this week, part of a trend that has “alarmed” health system officials.

The hospital is treating 42 COVID-positive patients as of Friday between ages 19 and 92. The previous Friday, the hospital reported 17 COVID patients.

So far this month, Mount Nittany has seen 76 COVID patients, compared to a total of 15 for all of September 2020, officials said Friday.

“Our average daily census of COVID positive inpatients has nearly doubled in the past two weeks from an average of 16 COVID positive inpatients per day last week to 28 COVID positive inpatients this past week,” Mount Nittany Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Upendra Thaker said in a statement. “We are alarmed at the escalating rate of COVID positive hospitalizations.”

“The vast majority” of Mount Nittany’s COVID patients are not vaccinated, Thaker added. The average age of patients this month is 58.

Mount Nittany Health previously responded to rising COVID admissions by rescheduling or canceling some elective procedures and restricting visitors. Other service adjustments will likely be necessary as admissions increase, Thaker said.

The growing number of hospitalizations comes on the heels of weeks of increasing cases in Centre County. This week, however, cases decreased slightly. During the period Sept. 11-17, 396 cases were reported compared to 416 the previous week.

“As a community, and as doctors and nurses on the front lines, we have been fighting the pandemic for more than a year and half now,” Thaker said. “We strongly urge the community to please get vaccinated, social distance, avoid large gatherings, wear a mask, and wash your hands frequently.”

Vaccine appointments can be made with Mount Nittany Health at mountnittany.org/COVID. For information on vaccinations through Centre Volunteers in Medicine, visit cvim.net. Other vaccine providers can be found at vaccines.gov.

A look at Centre County

As of Friday, there have been 18,626 cases in Centre County — 16,871 confirmed and 1,755 probable — as well as 77,846 negative tests.

Between Sept. 11 and 17, the county’s daily case totals ranged from a low of 20 on Sept. 13 to a high of 86 on Sept. 11.

The number of COVID-related deaths remained unchanged at 232.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified every county in Pennsylvania at the high level of community transmission. As of Friday, in Centre County:

• 61% of the total population received at least one vaccine dose with 52.5% fully vaccinated.
• 68% of residents 18 and older received at least one dose with 58.5% fully vaccinated.
• 99.9% of residents 65 and older received at least one dose with 89.8% fully vaccinated.

The situation at Penn State

Over the most recent seven days of data, from Sept. 9-15, Penn State reported 101 cases of COVID-19 — from 99 students and two employees. Those numbers are a significant decrease from last week’s 163 cases, and continue to compare favorably to this time last year, when there were 652 positives between Sept. 4-10.

Based on data from the university’s COVID-19 dashboard, 48 students are in quarantine and isolation, meaning capacity now stands at 20%. And the testing positivity rate over the most recent seven days is at 2.4%.

The picture in PA

Statewide, cases rose again during the past week. From Sept. 11-17, there were 31,934 cases, an increase of 5,343 from the previous seven days.

There have now been a total of 1,370,247 cases along with 5,309,189 negative tests. Statewide, 91% of people have recovered, the Department of Health said.

As of Friday, there were 28,812 deaths, an increase of 277 from the previous Friday. The week before, there were 183 deaths.

Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the country for total vaccine doses administered, the CDC said. Additionally, the CDC said 67.6% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

COVID hospitalizations continue to rise across the state. As of Friday, there were a total of 2,337 patients. That’s an increase of 502 since the start of the month. Patient numbers haven’t been this high since late April.

Cases in children

The Health Department said the number of cases this year in school-aged children is 11.5 times higher than the same time last year. During the week of Sept. 8-14, there were 7,218 cases in children ages 5-18. During the week of Sept. 8-14, 2020, there were 630 cases in that age group.

The state is also providing case counts in children ages 0-4 and said the youngsters in these counts may not necessarily have been exposed to COVID in school or child care facilities. “The location of exposure cannot be determined but may have occurred in a variety of settings including the community, household/family, or the school setting,” the Health Department said.

During the week of Sept. 8-14, there were 19 cases in children ages 0-4 and 85 cases in children ages 5-18 in Centre County. That’s an increase in both age groups compared to the previous week. Cases in children 0-18 accounted for 25% of the county’s total cases during that period, the same percentage as the prior week.

Where to get tested

The state is operating a free, indoor walk-in COVID testing site at the former Sears Auto Center at the Nittany Mall. Testing is available 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday until the end of October.

This story was originally published September 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Mount Nittany Medical Center ‘alarmed’ by soaring COVID-19 hospitalizations."