Pa. Health Dept: 5K new COVID-19 cases; More than 2K hospitalized

Officials at the state Department of Health confirmed 5,005 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, up from Thursday’s tally of 4,197 new cases.

Statewide, 2,147 people were hospitalized, up from Thursday’s total of 2,118 people were hospitalized, and an increase from the 2,082 people who were hospitalized on Wednesday, according data posted to the Health Department’s pandemic tracking website. Statewide, 535 people in hospital intensive care wards, up from 523 on Thursday. And 268 people were using a ventilator to stay alive, down from Thursday’s tally of 296 people, state data indicated.

The state’s 14-day moving average for the number of people hospitalized has continued to increase. The state’s positivity rate remains at 8.2 percent.

Friday’s new case count brings the total number of positive cases since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to nearly 1.34 million cases. The Health Department confirmed 37 new fatalities, for a total of 28,535 since the start of the pandemic.

Earlier this week, officials in the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives announced they plan to return to session next week, cutting short the 203-member chamber’s summer recess, to try to undo the Wolf administration’s statewide mask mandate for K-12 students and children in child care centers.