See where Centre County had the most COVID-19 cases and get the picture at Penn State

The pace of COVID-19 cases in Centre County slowed again this week.

From Oct. 16-22, there were 230 reported cases — 99 fewer than the previous seven days. Daily totals ranged from a low of 21 on Oct. 18 to a high of 45 on Oct. 16.

As of Oct. 22, there have been a total of 20,328 cases (18,394 confirmed and 1,934 probable) along with 81,842 negative tests.

One new death was reported Oct. 21 to bring the county’s total to 242.

Mount Nittany Medical Center was treating 35 COVID-19 patients between ages 18 and 94 as of Oct. 22. Two patients were in intensive care and one was on a ventilator. Of the 35 patients, 26 were not vaccinated, according to Mount Nittany Health’s dashboard.

This marks an increase of two patients compared to the previous Friday. Daily COVID patient totals peaked this week at 38 on Oct. 18, while patients ranged in age from less than 1 year to 94 years old.

A Mount Nittany spokesperson declined to offer additional information about the infant that had been hospitalized, citing patient privacy.

Mount Nittany’s average daily count of COVID patients rose from 27 in September to 34 this month, officials said.

The picture at Penn State

Over the most recent seven days of data, from Oct. 14-20, Penn State reported 16 cases of COVID-19 — from 12 students and four employees. That marks the sixth straight week the numbers have decreased, as confirmed infections stood at 28 last week.

Based on data from the university’s COVID-19 dashboard, five students are in quarantine and isolation, meaning capacity now stands at 2%. And the testing positivity rate over the most recent seven days is at 0.3%.

Where are Centre County’s cases?

The Bellefonte/Pleasant Gap area again led Centre County’s case totals this week, followed by State College and Philipsburg.

Rockview state prison had one active COVID case on Oct. 22, the Corrections Department dashboard showed.

Here’s a breakdown of the total number of confirmed cases in each ZIP code that is partially or fully in Centre County, according to the state Health Department. The number of cases reported between Oct. 15 and 22 is in parentheses.

• 16801 (State College): 6,261 (36)
• 16823 (Bellefonte/Pleasant Gap): 3,353 (53)
• 16803 (State College): 1,733 (13)
• 16686 (Tyrone): 1,581 (42)
• 16802 (University Park): 1,544 (2)
• 16866 (Philipsburg): 1,108 (22)
• 16870 (Port Matilda): 671 (14)
• 16841 (Howard): 574 (12)
• 16828 (Centre Hall): 410 (4)
• 16875 (Spring Mills): 402 (8)
• 16827 (Boalsburg): 391 (7)
• 16845 (Karthaus): 320 (2)
• 16666 (Osceola Mills): 294 (8)
• 16844 (Julian): 292 (12)
• 16822 (Beech Creek): 283 (8)
• 16853 (Milesburg): 166 (1)
• 16877 (Warriors Mark): 161 (4)
• 16874 (Snow Shoe): 148 (2)
• 16826 (Blanchard): 128 (4)
• 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 110 (1)
• 16829 (Clarence): 102 (1)
• 16854 (Millheim): 101 (0)
• 16820 (Aaronsburg): 99 (2)
• 16872 (Rebersburg): 87 (0)
• 16851 (Lemont): 72 (1)
• 16859 (Moshannon): 55 (1)
• 16832 (Coburn): 47 (2)
• 16677 (Sandy Ridge): 44 (1)
• 16860 (Munson): 36 (0)
• 16868 (Pine Grove Mills): 35 (0)
• 16852 (Madisonburg): 31 (1)
• 16856 (Mingoville): 31 (0)
• 16835 (Unionville): 30 (0)
• 16882 (Woodward): 18 (1)
• 16864 (Orviston): 14 (0)
• 16804 (State College): 12 (0)

Cases drop across PA

The number of cases also fell this week in Pennsylvania.

From Oct. 16-22, there were 28,185 reported cases. That’s a decrease of 4,092 from the previous week’s total.

Daily case totals during the week ranged from a low of 2,902 on Oct. 18 to a high of 4,998 on Oct. 21.

Statewide, there have been 1,530,309 cases along with 5,654,885 negative tests. Across Pennsylvania, 91% of people have recovered.

There have been 30,903 deaths, an increase of 485. The week before, there were 511 deaths.

The number of hospitalizations peaked this week at 3,025 on Oct. 19 and ended the week at 2,900. Between Oct. 15 and 22, the number of patients decreased by 46 across the state.

Vaccine update

Pennsylvania remained entirely in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s high level of community transmission.

CDC figures show that as of Oct. 22, 71.2% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated. That’s a slight increase from the previous week’s total of 70.1%.

The CDC said that in Centre County:

• 64.4% of the total population received at least one vaccine dose with 54.5% fully vaccinated. (A week ago, those percentages were 63.5% and 54.1%, respectively.)
• 71.8% of those 18 and older received at least one dose with 60.7% fully vaccinated. (Last week, those percentages were 70.8% and 60.3%, respectively.)
• 99.9% of those 65 and older received at least one dose with 92.1% fully vaccinated. (Last week’s totals were 99.9% and 91.6%, respectively.)

More boosters available

Pennsylvania’s acting health secretary said Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots have been approved by the CDC and are available for eligible adults. The Pfizer booster was approved in September.

The booster does not need to be the same type as the first dose, the Health Department said.

Those who received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine are eligible for a booster six months after their first two doses, if they fall into one of these categories:

• 65 and older
• 18 and older who live in a long-term care setting
• 18 and older who have an underlying medical condition
• 18 and older who work or live in a high-risk environment, such as first responders and teachers and people in jails or homeless shelters.

Johnson & Johnson recipients who are 18 or older are eligible two months after their initial dose.

“These vaccines remain our best strategy to stop the spread of COVID-19,” acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said in a statement. “If you are fully vaccinated you still have protection. Getting a booster dose will increase your level of defense. If you have family and friends who are not yet vaccinated, please encourage them to talk to their doctor and consider getting vaccinated now.”

For more information, or to make an appointment for a vaccine, visit:

• Mount Nittany Health at mountnittany.org/covid
• Centre Volunteers in Medicine at cvim.net/covid-information
• Vaccines.gov

This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "See where Centre County had the most COVID-19 cases and get the picture at Penn State."