Pa. Health Dept.: 3,500 new COVID-19 cases; More than 3K hospitalized

By: Cassie Miller - October 20, 2021 12:35 pm

After a second dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, a swarm of antibodies attacks the virus. (Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images)

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 3,584 new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to more than 1.5 million cases since the start of the pandemic.

As of Wednesday, 3,025 individuals were hospitalized with the virus. Of that number, 694 patients were in the intensive care unit and 398 patients were using a ventilator.

The department also confirmed 134 new deaths attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths attributed to the virus to 30,721 since the start of the pandemic.

As of Wednesday, the statewide percent positivity remained at 9.7 percent and 70.8 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 or older were fully vaccinated, according to the department.

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Cassie Miller

A native Pennsylvanian, Cassie Miller worked for various publications across the Midstate before joining the team at the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. In her previous roles, she has covered everything from local sports to the financial services industry.