The Lead

Pa. Health Dept.: More than 10K new COVID-19 cases over weekend; 71.4% of adult Pa. residents are fully vaccinated

By: John L. Micek - October 25, 2021 12:07 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 10,412 new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth over the weekend, bringing the total number of cases to 1.54 million since the start of the pandemic.

The three-day tally the agency reported at midday on Monday is lower than the 11,208 new cases the agency reported during the same time period last week.

As of midday Monday, 2,786 individuals were hospitalized with the virus.Of that number, 683 patients were in the intensive care unit and 367 patients were using a ventilator, according to data posted to the agency’s pandemic tracking website.

The department also confirmed 73 new deaths attributed to COVID-19 over the weekend, bringing the total number of deaths attributed to the virus to 30,976 since the start of the pandemic, state data showed.

As of Monday, the statewide positivity rate was 9.2 percent, and 71.4 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 or older were fully vaccinated, according to the department.

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