Reopening updates: Centre County adds 5 COVID-19 cases, as Pa. cases top 110,000

We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date coronavirus news now that Centre County is in the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to reopen Pennsylvania. Check back for updates.

Centre County saw a spike in COVID-19 cases Sunday. The numbers were wrong, officials say

A sudden spike in Centre County COVID-19 cases reported Sunday that alarmed many is not accurate, officials said Wednesday.

On Sunday, 43 new coronavirus cases were reported in Centre County, but “a number of the original test results are not valid,” Dr. Nirmal Joshi, chief medical officer at Mount Nittany Health, confirmed in an email. Previously, the highest single-day total in Centre County cases was 11 new positives.

“We use multiple commercial labs to conduct COVID-19 tests, and we closely monitor and review the results that are returned to us,” Joshi wrote. “When we received an unusually high number of positive results on Friday, we immediately alerted the Department of Health and implemented a plan to quickly retest these individuals over the weekend.”

- by Marley Parish

Lock Haven University altering fall plans because bringing everyone back ‘too risky to undertake’

Lock Haven University — a public university 40 miles northeast of Penn State — announced Monday it is making serious changes to its fall reopening plan in response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, moving more classes online and considerably reducing on-campus housing because bringing everyone back is “too risky to undertake.”

According to the university, which has an undergraduate enrollment of about 3,000, the goal is to reduce on-campus residency by two-thirds while moving as many as 85% of classes to online-only. Only one student per residence hall room will be permitted, and priority will be given to those who must take face-to-face classes due to their major and those who have internships, labs or the like.

“We are not winning the battle against COVID-19,” LHU President Robert Pignatello said in a written statement. “Our students come from all parts of Pennsylvania, many from areas where the virus is now surging; they also come from 11 states and seven countries. This reality is of great concern and requires major changes to our operational plan.

- by Josh Moyer

Virus tracing app could go live in Pennsylvania in August

A contact-tracing app for mobile phones is being piloted and could go live in Pennsylvania in the coming weeks as part of an effort to more quickly contain coronavirus outbreaks by notifying people who may have been exposed, a state Health Department official said Wednesday.

The state Department of Health otherwise has said little about its plans for the app, other than it is seeking to introduce a mobile app and a $1.9 million contract with software developer NearForm Ltd of Ireland to deploy and maintain it.

Also, the state Department of Transportation extended the expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards and learner’s permits to Aug. 31. The grace period applies to cards that expired after March 16. It had been scheduled to expire this Friday.

- The Associated Press

8 Penn State student-athletes test positive for COVID-19, athletic department reports

Penn State Athletics announced its third round of COVID-19 testing results Wednesday afternoon, reporting eight positive cases among student-athletes.

There were zero positives after the first and second rounds of testing, and the Nittany Lions announced their first positive result among student-athletes July 23.

The eight new positives are out of 288 new tests as of July 24, with 66 tests still pending. The athletic department has conducted 466 tests thus far.

- by Jon Sauber

Centre County adds 5 COVID-19 cases

Five new COVID-19 cases were reported in Centre County on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health.

The county’s total is now 370 — 335 are confirmed and 35 are probable, with 8,230 testing negative. The increase follows Sunday’s spike of 43 additional cases, which Mount Nittany Health is still working with the state Department of Health to investigate.

A Mount Nittany Health spokesperson told the Centre Daily Times Wednesday that results of retesting are expected this week and any changes in overall positive numbers would be reflected on the state DOH’s website.

There have been 10 coronavirus-related deaths in Centre County, according to the DOH, though the Centre County Coroner’s Office has only confirmed seven, with ages ranging from 74 to 96. The most recent death was reported Tuesday, a 91-year-old woman from a local nursing home.

Statewide, an additional 834 COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday, bringing the total to 110,218. The DOH estimates 75% have recovered.

Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• 1% are ages 0-4;
• 1% are ages 5-12;
• 3% are ages 13-18;
• 9% are ages 19-24;
• 37% are ages 25-49;
• 23% are ages 50-64; and
• Nearly 25% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.

The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code is as follows, according to the DOH:

• 16801 (State College): 81 (+17 since Saturday)
• 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 62 (+9 since Saturday)
• 16803 (State College): 51 (+7 since Saturday)
• 16875 (Spring Mills): 18 (+3 since Saturday)
• 16841 (Howard): 17 (+3 since Saturday)
• 16827 (Boalsburg): 15
• 16866 (Philipsburg): 15 (+1 since Saturday)
• 16822 (Beech Creek): 12
• 16870 (Port Matilda): 13 (+1 since Saturday)
• 16828 (Centre Hall): 10 (+2 since Saturday)
• 16686 (Tyrone): 9 (+1 since Saturday)
• 16853 (Milesburg): 6
• 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 1-4 cases (-1 since Tuesday)
• 16666, 16802, 16820, 16829, 16832, 16844, 16845, 16851, 16852, 16854, 16860, 16868, 16872, 16874, 16877, 16882: 1-4 cases each.

The state does not give specific numbers when there are fewer than five cases to protect patient privacy and does not identify exactly where a case occurred in a ZIP code that spans multiple counties.

Statewide, 16 more deaths were reported Tuesday to bring the total number to 7,162.

- by Jessica McAllister

Bars, restaurants challenge virus restrictions

Pennsylvania bar and restaurant owners said Tuesday they have been unfairly blamed for rising virus case numbers, challenging the Wolf administration to provide evidence and blasting the Democratic governor anew over pandemic restrictions they say will drive many of them out of business.

Wolf cited rising infection rates in some hot spots when he imposed a new round of restrictions on bars and restaurants two weeks ago. Occupancy was reduced from 50% to 25% capacity, and alcohol can only be served with meals.

Riki Tanaka, who owns three restaurants in lightly impacted McKean County, in the rural northwest, told a state House panel it makes no sense and “flat out isn’t fair” to lump eateries in his region with those in virus hot spots like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

- The Associated Press

Campus check-in

• Notre Dame will play in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season as part of a plan to play 10 league games and start the week of Sept. 7, alterations brought on by the pandemic. The ACC’s university presidents approved a plan Wednesday for an 11-game schedule, including one nonconference game, and for pushing back the league championship game from Dec. 5 to either Dec. 12 or 19.

• The University of Texas is now exploring how it can host football games at 25% percent stadium capacity instead of the previously announced 50% as the return to campus and the planned start of the season rapidly approaches.

• The Big West Conference is postponing all fall sports through the end of the calendar year.

• The Big 12 will hold its football media day online Monday with only the conference’s 10 head coaches available.

• Athletic director Greg Byrne says the University of Alabama has taken cost-cutting measures for each department and sport with the coronavirus threatening fall sports.

• Austin’s public health authority said the city was “caught a little off guard” by the recent announcement by Texas that the school planned to allow 50% stadium capacity at Longhorns football games this fall.

• The NCAA is allowing all major college football teams to begin their seasons as early as Aug. 29. The association confirmed that the football oversight committee had requested a blanket waiver to permit any school to push up the start of its season to the so-called Week Zero.

• The Summit League is pushing back the start of fall sports to Sept. 23 due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
• The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has moved most fall sports until the spring, including football. The MIAC joined the majority of its NCAA Division III peers, postponing competition in cross country, football, soccer and volleyball.

• Iowa has paused its men’s basketball workouts for 14 days after two players tested positive for COVID-19, the school announced Tuesday.

• Ohio State will limit home crowds to about 20,000 and prohibit tailgating if the football season is played this fall. Fans inside Ohio Stadium will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing to help stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Municipal updates

• State College is extending its free on and off-street parking program to Aug. 17 in an effort to continue supporting downtown businesses and visitors during the pandemic, according to a Friday news release.

Things to do

• Downtown Bellefonte will hold a Friday in the ‘Fonte celebration on July 31, with two pop-up outdoor dining spaces, as well as a Sidewalk Sale. The monthly event aims to support Bellefonte’s shopping, dining, craft beverage producers and more and is held on the last Friday of each month.

Free food options

This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 8:00 AM.