Centre County reports 17 new cases of COVID-19, mostly in State College, on campus
We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date coronavirus news as Penn State and local schools reopen. Check back for updates.
Concerned but not panicked: Making sense of Centre County’s recent rise in COVID-19 cases
Centre County has seen a significant rise in COVID-19 cases the past two weeks — 93 cases in total — that has concerned some officials while others have cautioned it’s not yet time to panic.
On the surface, the increase has been dramatic. Centre County averaged about 40 biweekly cases between May and July, before more than doubling that in this past 14-day period with the reopening of Penn State. But, officials said, looking at those numbers alone doesn’t offer a complete picture.
It doesn’t take into account Penn State testing asymptomatic cases, meaning those who show no outward signs of infection and wouldn’t have been tested in the county otherwise. And it doesn’t show that a majority of cases appear to be mild or asymptomatic, meaning little to no additional stress has been placed on Mount Nittany Medical Center.
- by Josh Moyer
Big Ten presidents voted 11-3 to cancel fall football season
A court filing discloed Monday shows that Big Ten Conference presidents voted 11-3 to postpone the football season until spring, bringing some clarity to a key question raised in a lawsuit brought by a group of Nebraska football players.
The vote breakdown was revealed in the Big Ten’s response to the lawsuit.
The court documents did not identify how each school voted, but a person familiar with the outcome told The Associated Press that Iowa, Nebraska and Ohio State voted against postponing the fall football season. The person spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because the Big Ten was not planning on making the specifics of its vote public.
- The Associated Press
Centre County adds 17 new COVID-19 cases
Centre County reported 17 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, with 16 of those cases in State College or on Penn State’s campus to bring the total to 486 since the first case was reported March 20.
This is the county’s third largest daily increase, coming just days after Saturday’s record 20 new cases. (On July 26, 43 new cases were reported but 24 were later deemed invalid and removed from the county’s total.)
Overall, the county has had 440 confirmed cases and 46 probable cases and 13,778 negative tests.
Pennsylvania added 521 positive cases to raise the total to 134,025. There have been 1.52 million negative cases and an estimated 82% recovery rate.
No new deaths were reported Monday in the state; the total stands at 7,673.
The north-central region, which includes Centre County, has seen cases among 19- to 24-year-olds increase from about 7% of total cases in April to about 24% of cases in August.
The breakdown of positive cases by age is:
- 1% are 0-4
- Nearly 2% are 5-12
- Nearly 4% are 13-18
- Nearly 10% are 19-24
- Nearly 38% are 25-49
- Nearly 23% are 50-64
- Approximately 23% are 65 or older
The breakdown of confirmed Centre County cases by ZIP code is as follows, according to the DOH:
- 16801 (State College): 125 (12 new cases)
- 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 69
- 16803 (State College): 57
- 16686 (Tyrone): 28
- 16866 (Philipsburg): 25
- 16875 (Spring Mills): 23
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 21 (1 new case)
- 16841 (Howard): 20
- 16827 (Boalsburg): 16
- 16802 (University Park): 15 (4 new cases)
- 16822 (Beech Creek): 12
- 16828 (Centre Hall): 12
- 16666 (Osceola Mills): 8
- 16853 (Milesburg): 7
- 16844 (Julian): 6
- 16851 (Lemont): 6
- 16854 (Millheim): 6
- 16877 (Warriors Mark): 6
- 16820 (Aaronsburg): 5
- 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 5
- 16804, 16829, 16832, 16845, 16852, 16860, 16868, 16872, 16874, 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.
No patients are hospitalized in Centre County due to COVID-19, according to the state dashboard.
- by Matt Hymowitz
Centre Foundation opens applications for COVID-19 relief funding. Here’s how to apply
To help area nonprofits struggling amid the pandemic, Centre Foundation has opened phase two of its COVID-19 ACTION Fund, which includes $150,000 in funds.
The philanthropic organization opened its COVID-19 response fund with a balance of $375,000 earmarked to provide operational and programmatic support to local nonprofits amid the pandemic. The first round of grants provided $100,000 to 14 organizations to help address immediate health and human service needs resulting from the coronavirus outbreak.
“We are pleased to open our second round of funding to support local organizations’ operational and programmatic needs resulting from the ongoing economic uncertainty surrounding the pandemic,” Molly Kunkel, executive director of Centre Foundation, said in a release.
- by Marley Parish
Wolf won’t extend state’s eviction moratorium, office says
Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration reiterated that he will not extend his executive order halting evictions and foreclosures in Pennsylvania because of legal limits that prevent him from taking further action.
In a statement, Wolf’s office said it had explored the possibility that it could build off of the Federal Housing Administration’s Thursday extension of its national foreclosure and eviction moratorium through December.
“But after a thorough legal review, we have determined that the governor cannot extend the executive order to reach additional Pennsylvanians who are not benefiting from the federal extensions and a legislative fix is necessary in order to protect homeowners and renters from eviction,” Wolf’s office said.
- The Associated Press
Governor calls for paid sick leave legislation
Gov. Tom Wolf is urging lawmakers to pass legislation that requires businesses to provide paid sick and family leave for workers, saying Monday that it will help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Wolf said many workers lack any paid time off, and those working paycheck-to-paycheck are likelier to go to work, even if they feel sick, and infect co-workers.
“Workers should not have to choose between their job and their health, especially during this pandemic,” Wolf told a news conference Monday morning in Harrisburg.
- The Associated Press
Walmart testing site changes schedule
The COVID-19 testing site at the North Atherton Street Walmart parking lot in State College will be closed Wednesday and Friday. The state Department of Health said Monday that test provider Quest Diagnostics is adopting a different online scheduling tool this week.
The North Atherton Walmart site typically offers testing from 7 to 9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and will resume that schedule Sept. 9. (Next Monday is Labor Day.) Tests can be scheduled at appointment.questdiagnostics.com/patient/confirmation.
COVID-19 symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, diarrhea, chills, repeating shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache. sore throat and new loss of taste or smell
- CDT staff reports
‘We are in crisis mode.’ Centre County hospitality industry works to survive amid COVID-19 outbreak
As a Penn State alumnus and season ticket holder, Pat Romano was devastated by the Big Ten’s decision to cancel fall football.
But as a business owner, it was just one day out of six months worth of challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been an emotional roller coaster,” Romano said. “One day things sound great, like they’re going to change. But the next day, it goes downhill.”
- by Marley Parish
How Centre County career-technical programs plan to give students hands-on experience amid pandemic
More than five months of planning and discussion culminated Tuesday when several schools in Centre County reopened for the first time since March.
Some districts offered a variety of learning options, including in-person, online or a combination of the two. Other schools, like the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology, were more straightforward in their offerings.
The Spring Township-based career and technical education center welcomed back all of its students, who rely on in-person instruction to gain hands-on experience.
- by Bret Pallotto
Campus check-in
- Iowa State will allow about 25,000 football fans into Jack Trice Stadium for the Cyclones’ opener against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 12.
- North Carolina State says its women’s soccer team won’t play this fall.
- City officials shut down a pool party Saturday at an apartment complex near the University of South Carolina, saying at least 200 people were crowded around without masks, violating rules meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- The University of Alaska Fairbanks hockey team and other student athletes are in quarantine or isolation after athletes tested positive for COVID-19 following an off-campus party, administrators said.
- The Iowa athletic department is pausing workouts for all sports until after Labor Day following a major uptick in the number of coronavirus cases.
Business updates
Things to do
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 9:53 AM.