Pa. logs 12K new COVID-19 cases over the weekend; More than 2,200 hospitalized, Health Department says

By: John L. Micek - September 13, 2021 3:05 pm

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf receiving his COVID-19 vaccine (Commonwealth Media Services).

State health officials logged 12,406 new cases of COVID-19 between 12 a.m. on Saturday morning and 12 a.m. on Monday morning, as the number of people hospitalized for treatment of the virus also rose.

Statewide, 2,239 people were hospitalized as of Monday, with 551 people in hospital intensive care units, according data posted to the state Department of Health’s COVID tracking website. Of that tally, 287 people were using a ventilator, the state data indicated.

At midday last Friday, the Health Department had confirmed 5,005 new COVID-19 infections, with 2,118 hospitalized, 535 in intensive care wards, and 268 using ventilators to survive, the agency’s data indicated.

Monday’s new tally brings the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 1.35 million since the start of the pandemic. The state’s overall positivity rate rose to 9.1 percent for the period between Sept. 3 and Sept. 9. Last week, the state’s overall positivity rate stood at 8.2 percent.

The Health Department also confirmed 33 new deaths over the weekend, for a total of 28,568 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

On Monday, the union that represents 11,000 Pennsylvania prison guards and other corrections staff filed a lawsuit to block a Wolf administration policy requiring thousands of state employees to get vaccinated or to undergo weekly testing, the Capital-Star reported.

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