Pa. Health Dept: More than 5,200 new COVID-19 cases; 70% of Pa. adults vaccinated

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed 5,253 new cases of COVID-19 in the commonwealth on Thursday, up from Wednesday’s tally of 5,012 new cases, bringing the total number of cases to  more than 1.49 million since the start of the pandemic.

At midday Thursday, there were 2,978 people hospitalized with COVID-19, down slightly from Wednesday’s total of 3,031 people. Of that number, 664 were in hospital intensive care units, down from Wednesday’s tally of 678 patients. A total of 388 people were using ventilators on Thursday, up from Wednesday’s tally of 362 people, according to data posted to the state’s pandemic tracking website.

The department confirmed 108 new deaths attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total  number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 to 30,336 since the start of the pandemic.

As of midday Thursday, Pennsylvania’s positivity rate was 9.6 percent, and 70 percent of Pennsylvanians 18 or older were fully vaccinated, the Health Department said in a statement.

In a statement released Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf lauded Pennsylvanians for helping the state achieve that vaccination “milestone.”

“Now, 70 percent of Pennsylvania’s adults have accepted their responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 and most importantly keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” Wolf said. “This milestone is critical to protect those not yet eligible for the vaccine, like our children under 12 years of age.”