Reopening updates: Centre County adds 45 cases of COVID-19, and more news for Oct. 1

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A Port Matilda woman spent weeks at Mount Nittany with COVID-19. Now she’s going home

An 89-year-old Port Matilda woman was discharged Wednesday from Mount Nittany Medical Center after a monthlong battle with the new coronavirus.

Most patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 spend about seven to 10 days in the hospital, Mount Nittany Physician Group Dr. Peter Thomas said in a written statement.

Betty Knouse was hospitalized for more than a month.

- by Bret Pallotto

CATA plans service changes next week

The Centre Area Transportation Authority will temporarily end service on its commuter routes next week due to low ridership during the pandemic. As of Monday, service will be halted on the A (Park Forest), B (Boalsburg), C (Houserville), F (Pine Grove), G (Grays Woods), S (Science Park), XB (Bellefonte) and XG (Pleasant Gap) routes.

Riders who rely on those routes are asked to contact CATA at 238-CATA, ext. 7500, to discuss their transportation needs.

Also starting Monday, CATAGo will provide service to Pleasant Gap from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Friday. CATAGo already runs from 6 a.m.-11 p..m. Monday-Friday in Bellefonte and 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays in Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap.

There are no changes planned for CATARide.

- by Matt Hymowitz

Centre County adds 45 cases of COVID-19; state passes 160,000

Centre County reported 45 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday to bring the total to 2,755 (2,688 confirmed and 67 probable). All but one of the new cases are confirmed. There have been 26,762 negative tests.

The Department of Health continues to list 11 Centre County deaths due to COVID-19, though Coroner Scott Sayers on Wednesday confirmed the county’s eighth coronavirus-related fatality.

Six patients remain hospitalized in the county and one ventilator is in use, according to the state dashboard.

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

• 16801 (State College): 1,720 confirmed (29 new cases), 28 (1 new case) probable
• 16802 (University Park): 405 (10 new cases), 1-4 probable
• 16803 (State College): 177 (2 new cases), 9 probable
• 16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 96 (1 fewer case), 10 probable
• 16686 (Tyrone): 37, 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): 16 (1 new case), 1-4 probable
• 16853 (Milesburg): 15, 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 1,156 new cases of COVID-19 to bring the statewide total to 160,123. There have been 1.89 million negative tests, and an estimated 82% of patients have recovered.

The age breakdown of patients who have tested positive 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

Across the state, there have been 8,160 deaths, an increase of 18.

- by Matt Hymowitz

Appeals court allows Pennsylvania to restrict crowd size

A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily restored Pennsylvania’s pandemic restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings, putting on hold a judge’s ruling that threw out statewide limits on crowd size.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, may once again enforce size limits on gatherings while it appeals the lower court order.

- The Associated Press

GOP lawmaker’s positive COVID-19 test cancels voting session

A Republican lawmaker’s positive test for COVID-19 on Thursday prompted legislative leaders to immediately cancel the day’s Pennsylvania House voting session, and human resources workers were deployed to trace his personal contacts to see if others should be quarantined.

Rep. Paul Schemel, R-Franklin, issued a statement saying he began to feel sick on Wednesday and got the positive test result Thursday. He then notified House officials. He was most recently in the Capitol on Tuesday.

The House had been scheduled to take up a Republican-backed measure Thursday that would set up a GOP majority committee to investigate the election during its last month.

- The Associated Press

NFL postpones Steelers-Titans after 2 more positive tests

The NFL postponed Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers game at Tennessee until later in the season after one additional Titans player and one personnel member tested positive for COVID-19.

The announcement Thursday came one day after the league said it hoped to play the game on Monday or Tuesday. The NFL said a new game date would be announced “shortly.”

- The Associated Press

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

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

Campus check-in

• Several parties and large gatherings coinciding with the University of South Carolina’s football game had to be broken up Saturday, as people celebrated the first game of the season, police said.

• Appalachian State has postponed next week’s football game against Louisiana-Lafayette due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing.

Community outreach

Things to do

This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 11:19 AM.