Pennsylvania reports 2 days of record new covid-19 cases

Pennsylvania on Friday reported a record number of new covid-19 infections for the past two days.

The number of new cases reported surged to 8,425 on Thursday, a record, before backing off slightly on Friday with 7,360 cases, the second highest ever reported in the state.

The state’s seven-day average has climbed to 6,833 while the seven-day total reached 47,828, new highs for both figures.

Pennsylvania added 118 new reported deaths Thursday and 21 on Friday, bringing the state’s total covid-related deaths to 10,234, according to the Department of Health. There are 4,114 people hospitalized for covid-19 in Pennsylvania with 864 of those in intensive care units.

Of the 5,249 ventilators in the state, 1,452 are in use, 445 of those by covid patients.

The state has reached a total of 343,614 cases of covid-19, with 319,239 of those confirmed and 24,375 recorded as probable.

Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a “high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.

The new PCR positivity rate is 24.25% for the state, bringing the overall test positive rate to a high of 10.28%

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 33,947 resident cases of covid-19 and 6,553 cases among employees. The total is 40,500 at 1,249 facilities. Of the state’s total covid-related deaths, 6,459 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care homes.