Covid resurgence is here, Pa. officials say after 14 days of new cases topping 1,000

Pennsylvania’s statewide percentage of positive covid-19 cases has risen to 4.3%, the highest it’s been since August, state officials said Monday, and nearly a third of the state’s 67 counties have a percent positivity of more than 5%.

“We all knew there was … going to be an upsurge in coronavirus in the fall, and we’re starting to see that,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a news conference. “The fall resurgence is here.”

The state recorded 1,103 new covid-19 cases Monday, the 14th day of cases above 1,000, said Secretary of Health Rachel Levine. On Saturday, the state reported 1,857 cases — the second-highest number since the pandemic began. (The highest was 1,989 on April 9.)

She noted the percent of positive cases rose to 4.3% this week as opposed to 3.9% a week prior. As case counts rise, she said, so do hospitalizations, and there were 841 covid-19 patients hospitalized Monday. Just under a month ago, on Sept. 22, that number was 422.

“We expect these numbers to continue to rise,” Levine said, though she noted hospitalizations are far lower than the peak of more than 3,000 earlier this year.

The resurgence in Pennsylvania mirrors what is happening on a national level, Levine said, and nearly every state is reporting increases.

“That is from frequenting a restaurant or going to a gathering. Or it could be just from relatively small gatherings of family and friends where people might not be as vigilant with social distancing and masking. However, someone has an asymptomatic case and it spreads,” she said. “We’re seeing all of that in Pennsylvania.”

Officials reiterated the small yet crucial steps everyone can and should take to stop the spread of the virus: Wear a mask, clean your hands and keep your distance.

“This, today, from both of us, is a plea to our fellow Pennsylvanians,” Wolf said.

Twenty-one of the state’s 67 counties are seeing a “concerning percent positivity,” officials said, including Westmoreland County where the percent of positive cases is 8.9%.

The rest of the counties are:

Huntingdon: 9.9%

Bradford: 8.3%

Lackawanna: 8.2%

Lebanon: 8.2%

Perry: 8.2%

Elk: 7.9%

Susquehanna: 7.1%

Bedford: 6.8%

Berks: 6.5%

Lawrence: 6.4%

Luzerne: 6.0%

Schuylkill: 5.9%

Dauphin: 5.7%

Armstrong: 5.6%

Centre: 5.6%

Tioga: 5.5%

Carbon: 5.1%

Indiana: 5.1%

Montour: 5.0%

Blair: 5.0%