Reopening updates: Centre County adds 43 cases of COVID-19, coroner reports new death

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Penn State Athletics announces 16 new COVID cases

Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics on Wednesday announced 16 new positive COVID-19 cases, with nine results pending, out of 987 tests from Sept. 19-25.

The number of positives in the 11th round of testing is following a downward trend after 20 new cases were reported last week, and 50 the week prior.

The department has had 145 total positives out of 4,869 tests so far through 11 rounds of testing. Penn State began testing athletes upon their return to campus June 8 and released the first round of results July 1.

Neither the sports nor the identities of the individuals to test positive were revealed.

As part of protocols established in Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics’ return to campus plan, athletes who test positive are put into isolation for 14 days before being retested. Contact tracing procedures have also been implemented, “which includes quarantine and testing for those individuals who might have been exposed, even if asymptomatic.”

- by Lauren Muthler

Centre County Coroner’s Office confirms 8th death attributed to COVID-19

An eighth death attributed to the new coronavirus was confirmed Wednesday by the Centre County Coroner’s Office.

A long-term care facility resident in the 16803 ZIP code died Monday, county Coroner Scott Sayers wrote in a statement. The 101-year-old woman was a resident of Wynwood House at State College, facility owner Vincent Romanini said Wednesday.

- by Bret Pallotto

Centre County adds 43 cases of COVID-19

Centre County reported 43 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the state Department of Health said. All the cases are confirmed. The county’s overall total stands at 2,710 cases (2,644 confirmed and 66 probable). There have been 26,564 negative tests.

Six patients are hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the county, according to the state dashboard. No ventilators are in use.

Coroner Scott Sayers said he was notified Wednesday of the county’s eighth death due to coronavirus. The Department of Health continues to report 11 Centre County deaths due to COVID-19. Sayers said in a press release that a 101-year-old woman died Monday at a long-term care facility in the 16803 ZIP code. The coroner’s office previously reported one death in April, five in May and one in August.

September was Centre County’s most active month — by far — when it came to reporting coronavirus cases, as Penn State students returned to campus. About 82% of the county’s total cases (2,224) were in September. The month also brought the five highest one-day increases since the first case was reported March 20.

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

• 16801 (State College): 1,691 confirmed (23 new cases), 27 probable
• 16802 (University Park): 395 (4 new cases), 1-4 probable
• 16803 (State College): 175 (2 new cases), 9 probable
• 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 97 (1 new case), 10 probable
• 16686 (Tyrone): 37 (1 new case), 1-4 probable
• 16866 (Philipsburg): 28, 1-4 probable
• 16870 (Port Matilda): 28, 1-4 probable
• 16827 (Boalsburg): 27, 0 probable
• 16841 (Howard): 26, 1-4 probable
• 16875 (Spring Mills): 25, 0 probable
• 16828 (Centre Hall): 15, 1-4 probable
• 16853 (Milesburg): 15 (2 new cases), 0 probable
• 16822 (Beech Creek): 12, 0 probable
• 16851 (Lemont): 10, 0 probable
• 16845 (Karthaus): 8, 0 probable
• 16666 (Osceola Mills): 8, 1-4 probable
• 16844 (Julian): 6, 0 probable
• 16854 (Millheim): 6, 1-4 probable
• 16877 (Warriors Mark): 6, 0 probable
• 16820 (Aaronsburg): 5, 1-4 probable
• 16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 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.

Pennsylvania added 1,153 new cases Wednesday to bring the statewide total to 158,967. There have been 1.88 million negative tests and an estimated 82% of patients have recovered. Nineteen additional deaths were reported, which raises the total to 8,142 across the state.

The age breakdown of patients who have tested positive across the state is:

• Approximately 1% are 0-4
• Nearly 2% are 5-12
• Nearly 5% are 13-18
• Approximately 13% are 19-24
• Nearly 36% are 25-49
• Approximately 21% are 50-64
• Nearly 22% are 65 or older

Two additional resident cases and one additional employee case were reported in another nursing and personal care home in Centre County. The county has now had 45 cases in residents and 26 cases in employees in 11 facilities. Statewide, there have been 22,935 cases in residents and 5,079 cases in employees at 984 facilities in 61 counties.

- by Matt Hymowitz

Walk-up COVID-19 testing available for PSU employees

Penn State’s on-campus employees are eligible to receive on-demand, walk-up COVID-19 tests through at least Friday.

According to the university, which made the announcement Tuesday, faculty and staff working on campus and listed in the university’s Return to Work database can get tested in the basement level of the HUB Parking Deck. The testing center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and for employees only from 9-10 a.m.

Registration is not required, and the testing is geared toward those who are showing no coronavirus symptoms. For those who are showing symptoms, the university asks you to stay home, call your health care provider and schedule a symptomatic test.

The walk-up test is voluntary and does not replace mandatory surveillance testing. Interested employees must bring ID, a smart phone and refrain from eating, drinking, chewing or smoking 30 minutes prior to arrival.

- by Josh Moyer

NFL: Steelers-Titans postponed after positive virus tests

The Pittsburgh-Tennessee game originally scheduled for Sunday will be played either Monday or Tuesday due to positive coronavirus tests among the Titans, the NFL announced Wednesday.

The NFL said a new date and time would be announced be announced as soon as possible and that the postponement would allow additional time for further testing.

-The Associated Press

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This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 12:05 PM.