A sign at Foot Locker in Lancaster County’s Park City Mall. The mall reopened June 26 after being shut down for several weeks under Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus restrictions.
Dan Gleiter | [email protected]
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,009 new coronavirus cases Friday, marking the first time in two months the state has topped 1,000 new cases in a single day.
The health department last reported more than 1,000 new cases in a day on May 10. The new report raises the statewide total of COVID-19 cases to 93,876.
The health department said 175 of the total cases reported Friday did not occur within the past 24 hours. Those new positive cases are the result of an influx of private lab results, the department said. Over the last seven days, the state has reported an average of 733 new cases per day.
While the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations remain below the peaks in the spring, health officials have said they are concerned about the recent uptick of infections, particularly among young adults. State officials have been tracking the rise in cases in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Across Pennsylvania, 6,880 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, including 32 new fatalities reported Friday, the health department said. More than two-thirds of the state’s deaths have occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.
The health department data shows the recent rise in cases over the past few weeks.
June 20-26: 3,608 new cases, an average of 515 per day
June 27-July 3: 4371 new cases, an average of 624 per day
July 4-10: 5,135 new cases, an average of 733 per day
In the spring, the health department regularly reported more than 1,000 coronavirus cases in a day. The peak came April 9, when the state reported 1,989 new cases that day.
With a spike in new cases, Allegheny County officials added a two-week extension to an order barring indoor dining at bars and restaurants, although outdoor dining, takeout and delivery will be allowed.
Allegheny County has seen hundreds of new infections over the past week, with the median age of the new cases ranging from 26 to 31, health officials have said. The county’s health department reported 180 new cases Friday.
While officials are tracking the spike in cases in southwestern Pennsylvania, health officials say they are worried about the increase in cases among adults between 19 and 24 years old all across the state.
Statewide, about 650 coronavirus patients are being treated in hospitals, which reflects an increase in recent days. A week ago, just under 600 patients were hospitalized.
The current numbers remain well below what many hospitals saw in April and May. For perspective, about 2,800 patients were treated in hospitals at the peak earlier this spring.
About 77 percent of the state’s COVID-19 patients have recovered, the health department estimates. The department considers patients to be recovered when they are more than 30 days past the point of their initial diagnosis or the onset of symptoms.
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