Pa. Health Dept.: More than 5.2K new COVID-19 cases; More than 2.5K hospitalized

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 5,269 new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to more than 1.6 million new cases since the start of the pandemic.

As of midday Wednesday, 2,588 people were hospitalized with the virus. Of those patients, 584 were in hospital intensive care units, and 354 were using a ventilator, according to data posted to the agency’s pandemic tracking website.

The department also confirmed  196 new deaths attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths attributed to the virus to 32,188 since the start of the pandemic, state data showed.

As of Wednesday, the statewide positivity rate was 9.3 percent, up from 8.8 percent last week, and 72.8 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 or older were fully vaccinated, according to the department.

All Pennsylvanians aged 5 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. You can use this Vaccine Finder to find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you.