The Daily Item
The number of new COVID-19 cases statewide and in the Valley dipped on Wednesday, while Pennsylvania registered its largest one-week increase in COVID-related deaths since May.
The data, released Wednesdays by the state Department of Health, showed 229 deaths this week statewide, the highest one-week increase since before Memorial Day.
There were 15,230 new COVID-19 infections in Pennsylvania this week, including 216 in the Susquehanna Valley. Both figures were lower than last week’s reports.
Northumberland County saw 129 new infections, down one from last week’s report. It was the sixth consecutive week the county had at least 100 new COVID cases. Montour County registered 25 new cases, with 34 in Snyder and 28 in Union. All four Valley counties registered fewer cases this week than last week.
According to data being tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University, the number of new cases nationally is up 21 percent over the last week, while COVID-related deaths are up 8 percent. Hospitalizations were down 6 percent over the same time period.
Hospitalizations
As of noon Wednesday, there were 1,567 hospitalizations statewide, down 180 from last week after two consecutive weeks with increases of more than 200 patients. There were 203 patients statewide being treated in the ICU and 77 on ventilators, down 20.
There were 57 COVID patients in Valley hospitals, down one from last week’s report. This week’s total includes 39 at Geisinger in Danville, seven at Geisinger Shamokin and 11 at Evangelical Community Hospital.
Geisinger Shamokin had two patients in the ICU. No Evangelical patients were in the ICU or on ventilators, according to the state report. Geisinger’s main Danville campus had seven in the ICU and two patients on ventilators.
State facilities, prisons
Both federal prisons remain at Level 1 COVID restrictions, the lowest of the Department of Corrections’ three levels. There is one inmate case at USP-Allenwood and two at USP-Lewisburg.
Nationwide, 10 facilities were at Level 3, the highest level of restrictions, 49 were at Level 2 and 29 were at Level 1. Institution operational levels (Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3) are based on the facilities’ COVID-19 medical isolation rate, combined percentage of staff and inmate completed vaccinations series and their respective county transmission rates.
At the State Correctional Institution in Coal Township, there is one active inmate case, according to the state Department of Corrections; there are four active staff cases in the latest report, both up from last week. There were 33 active inmate cases and 45 active staff cases in state prisons statewide.
There were five active cases among those receiving services at the Selinsgrove Center, along with 11 staff cases, both increases over last week’s reports.
There were no resident cases at the Danville State Hospital, while there is at least one staff case. There are no cases at the juvenile detention facilities in Danville. The state Department of Human Services does not release full data unless five or more people are positive.
