Centre County adds 109 weekend cases of COVID-19, and other reopening updates for Sept. 21

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Centre County adds 109 COVID-19 cases

Centre County added 109 cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, the state Department of Health said Monday. The county reported 72 new cases Sunday and 37 new cases Monday., and all but one were confirmed.

The county has had 1,836 cases since March 20 — 1,775 confirmed and 61 probable. There have been 23,157 negative tests. One patient is hospitalized in the county due to COVID-19, according to the state dashboard.

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

• 16801 (State College): 1,113 confirmed (84 new cases since Saturday), 26 probable
• 16802 (University Park): 248 (19 new cases), 1-4 probable
• 16803 (State College): 112 (7 new cases), 7 probable (1 new case)
• 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 84, 10 probable
• 16686 (Tyrone): 34, 1-4 probable
• 16827 (Boalsburg): 26, 0 probable
• 16841 (Howard): 26, 1-4 probable
• 16866 (Philipsburg): 26, 1-4 probable
• 16870 (Port Matilda): 25 (1 new case), 1-4 probable
• 16875 (Spring Mills): 25, 0 probable
• 16828 (Centre Hall): 15 (1 new case), 1-4 probable
• 16822 (Beech Creek): 12, 0 probable
• 16851 (Lemont): 9, 0 probable
• 16666 (Osceola Mills): 8, 1-4 probable
• 16853 (Milesburg): 7, 0 probable
• 16844 (Julian): 6, 0 probable
• 16854 (Millheim): 6, 1-4 probable
• 16820 (Aaronsburg): 5, 1-4 probable
• 16845 (Karthaus): 5, 0 probable
• 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 5, 0 probable
• 16877 (Warriors Mark): 5, 0 probable
• 16804, 16826, 16829, 16832, 16852, 16856, 16860, 16868, 16872, 16874, 16882: 1-4 cases each

The state does not provide 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.

Across Pennsylvania, there were a total of 967 additional cases reported Sunday and Monday — 234 on Monday and 733 on Sunday. The statewide total stands at 150,812 with 1.77 million negative tests. An estimated 82% of patients have recovered.

The age breakdown of people who have tested positive is:

• Approximately 1% are 0-4
• Nearly 2% are 5-12
• Approximately 4% are 13-18
• Nearly 13% are 19-24
• Approximately 36% are 25-49
• Nearly 22% are 50-64
• Approximately 22% are 65 or older

About 69% of the cases in the north-central region of the state, which includes Centre County, are in 19- to 24-year-olds.

The Health Department said 25 new deaths were reported Sunday and 23 on Monday to bring the state total to 8,004. The state continues to list 11 Centre County deaths due to COVID-19.

- by Matt Hymowitz

Where does Centre County stand in the fight against COVID-19? Clarity could come soon, expert says

Centre County has reached a turning point in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic — and, according to one medical expert, clarity could soon be on the way.

It’s just unknown at this point whether that will yield good news or bad.

Dr. David Rubin, the director of PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, updated the Centre Daily Times on the county’s status Thursday and offered a “bellwether” date of Oct. 1. At that point, he said, the picture should be clearer: If cases and testing positivity rates start going down at that point, and hospitalizations haven’t yet started climbing, data suggests the county could still contain the virus. But if they are increasing? An overwhelmed local hospital and an impossible-to-ignore situation seem a lot more likely.

- by Josh Moyer

Boalsburg chef teaching online cooking classes to provide a ‘safe and fun’ activity amid pandemic

After moving from New York City to State College a little over a year ago, Rebecca Elman began teaching cooking classes at RE Farm Cafe, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and changed the way people come together for food and fun, Elman realized she needed to likewise change the way she shares her extensive culinary experience with the world.

A personal chef in New York City with additional experience working at the James Beard Foundation and as a recipe tester for cookbooks, Elman has the cooking chops. She just needed the right platform for sharing her expertise. As so many businesses and organizations have during the pandemic, she turned to Zoom.

- by Holly Riddle, for the CDT

Here’s what the Big Ten’s new 8-game schedule looks like for Penn State football

With the Big Ten set to begin its football season Oct. 24, a new schedule is in order.

The conference released that schedule Saturday morning, and Penn State football now has its slate of opponents for the 2020 season, including its season opener — on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers.

- by Jon Sauber

No move to remote learning, as Penn State adds 226 cases of COVID-19 since last update

Penn State did not deviate Friday from its plan to continue in-person instruction despite announcing another 226 cases of the new coronavirus at the university’s flagship campus.

All new cases reported by the university were among students. There have been 973 cases reported in the past two weeks at University Park, and 1,372 total cases among students and employees.

The university reported 656 student cases are no longer active.

- by Bret Pallotto

Community outreach

• The Centre County United Way will launch its 2020 campaign at 3 p.m. Monday on Facebook.

Business updates

Things to do

This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 10:03 AM.