Pennsylvania sets single-day record for new covid cases

In adding 2,875 cases of coronavirus Tuesday, Pennsylvania set a record for new cases in a single day.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said of those new cases, 2,599 were confirmed from PCR tests and other 276 were probable cases.

Officials also said 32 new deaths were reported, making 159 in the past seven days. A total of 8,855 people have died of covid-19 in the state since the pandemic began in March.

Among the state’s 10,508 probable cases, health officials report there have been 3,846 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and 646 individuals with a positive serology test and either covid-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

While the summer surge in cases was mostly due to increased numbers in larger areas like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the recent fall uptick appears to be more spread out.

On Tuesday, while Philadelphia saw the most new cases (622), five other counties saw counts of more than 100 — Allegheny (150), Delaware (138), Lancaster (131), Montgomery (131) and Berks (125). Additionally, 10 other counties recorded new case counts of between 50 and 99, including Westmoreland (70) and Erie (50).

In another comparison, over the first 10 days of July, 15 counties saw case counts in at least triple digits. Over the most recent 10 days, that number is now at 40 counties.

“We have seen increases in our new case rates in all regions of Pennsylvania,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said last week.

Levine has urged those who test positive, and others identified as a close contact of a positive case, to cooperate with contact tracing. “You could save a life by being honest about who you were in contact with and the places you have visited,” she said.

In the state’s 1,086 nursing and personal care homes, officials said there are 26,500 resident cases of covid-19 and 5,725 cases among employees.

According to the state’s covid-19 tracking website at noon Tuesday, there are 1,417 Pennsylvanians currently hospitalized with the virus, with 301 patients in an intensive care unit and 134 of them on ventilators. Officials report there are 5,040 operational ventilators in the state, with 1,145 (22.7%) currently in use for all illnesses.

The state said most of the patients hospitalized are age 65 or older.

To date, the state has announced 214,871 cases of covid-19, with 204,363 of them having been confirmed via PCR tests — for a positivity rate of 7.99%. A total of 2,354,346 Pennsylvanians have tested negative for the virus.