More than 2k Pa. residents hospitalized as COVID cases climb, Health Department says

By: John L. Micek - September 7, 2021 2:22 pm

Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam speaks at a press conference. Harrisburg, PA – February 17, 2021

More than 2,000 Pennsylvanians are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, as the state’s moving average of cases has continued to climb, according to new state Department of Health data.

The agency reported 2,010 people hospitalized as of Tuesday, with 496 in hospital intensive care units, according to information posted to its pandemic tracking web page. A total of 248 patients were on ventilators as of Tuesday, the state data showed.

The Health Department confirmed 10,462 new infections between last Saturday and Monday, with 2,356 new cases on Tuesday. A total of more than 1.3 million people have tested positive since the start of the pandemic, Health Department data showed.

The state’s positivity rate stood at 8.2 percent for the week of Aug. 27 through Sept. 2.

Officials confirmed 56 new fatalities between Sept. 3 and Monday, for a total of 28,408 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

More than two-thirds (66.4 percent) of Pennsylvanians aged 18 and older have now been fully vaccinated against the virus, the agency said in a statement.

The new data comes as a statewide mask mandate for K-12 students and children in childcare centers took effect on Tuesday.

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John L. Micek

A 3-decade veteran of the news business, John L. Micek is the Pennsylvania Capital-Star's Editor-in-Chief. An award-winning political reporter, Micek’s career has taken him from small town meetings and Chicago City Hall to Congress and the Pennsylvania Capitol. His weekly column on U.S. politics is syndicated to 800 newspapers nationwide by Cagle Syndicate. He also contributes commentary and analysis to broadcast outlets in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Micek’s first novel, “Ordinary Angels,” was released in 2019 by Sunbury Press.