UPDATE State records 1,158 new COVID-19 infections, fewer than 10 in each Valley county – Sunbury Daily Item

The Daily Item

Health officials reported 1,158 new cases statewide. It was the seventh straight day with 1,252 or fewer, the first time that has happened since late July.

There were fewer than 10 new COVID-19 infections in the four Valley counties reported on Saturday, the third time that has happened since Feb. 27.

There were eight new infections in Union County, five each in Snyder and Northumberland counties and two in Montour, according to data reported by the state Department of Health (DOH).

The state reported no new COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday. The number of new deaths from the virus have declined every day in March after the state reported 116 on March 1.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University, across the nation, new cases were down 28 percent over the past week, hospitalizations were down 12 percent and deaths linked to COVID-19 were down 12 percent. In Pennsylvania, the number of new COVID cases is down 39 percent over the last week, deaths were down 18 percent and hospitalizations were down 16 percent.

At Bucknell University, there have been 19 positive cases this week, down from 80 recorded last week. There were 40 students in isolation.

Among school-age children in the Valley, there have been at least 11 new cases this week. The DOH reported eight new cases in Union County among students ages 5-18 in the seven-day window that ended March 1. There were fewer than five positive cases in Montour, Northumberland and Snyder counties. The state does not release exact numbers if fewer than five cases are registered to protect the patients identities.

According to the new CDC guidance, all four Valley counties were seeing high community levels of COVID-19. Across Pennsylvania, 43 counties had low rates up 27 from last week 16 had medium and eight had high. The COVID-19 community level is determined by the higher of the new admissions and inpatient beds metrics, based on the current level of new cases per 100,000 population in the past 7 days.

Across Pennsylvania, 76.7 percent of adults 18 and older are fully vaccinated according to the CDC and 67.1 percent of all residents are fully vaccinated, according to CDC reporting on Saturday.

As of noon Saturday, there were 1,089 hospitalizations statewide, down 67 from Friday and 6,427 since Jan. 15. The number of COVID hospitalizations statewide has dropped for 28 consecutive days and was at its lowest point since Aug. 16, 2021.

Statewide, there were 199 in intensive care units (ICUs), down 25, and 122 were breathing using ventilators, down six.

There were 62 patients hospitalized locally on Saturday, three more than reported Friday, all at Evangelical Community Hospital. There were 48 patients at Geisinger in Danville, two at Geisinger-Shamokin and 12 at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg.

Geisingers main campus in Danville had 11 patients in the ICU and seven on a ventilator, even with Fridays report. There were two COVID patients in the ICU in Shamokin, also the same as reported Friday.

At Evangelical, three patients were being treated in the ICU and the one was on a ventilator, also the same as Friday.

There were six inmate cases at the medium-security unit in Allenwood on Saturday, the only cases at the three facilities in Allenwood, the same numbers as reported Friday. According to the Bureau of Prisons, there were also 16 staff cases at USP-Lewisburg, an increase of one case since Fridays report.

As of Saturday, there were no active cases among those receiving services and fewer than five staff cases at the Selinsgrove Center, At Danville State Hospital, there were no active infections among those receiving services and fewer than five cases among staff members, according to the state Department of Human Services. At the North Central Secure Treatment Unit, there were fewer than five cases among youth and fewer than five among staff. The DHS does not report numbers fewer than five to avoid identifying individuals.

There were two inmate cases and no staff cases at the State Correctional Institution in Coal Township, according to the state Department of Corrections (DOC). Statewide, there were 73 inmate cases, down 17, and another 63 staff cases, down two.

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UPDATE State records 1,158 new COVID-19 infections, fewer than 10 in each Valley county - Sunbury Daily Item