Pennsylvania nears 300K covid-19 cases, records 108 more deaths

Another 6,808 cases of covid-19 were reported in Pennsylvania on Friday, according to a report from the state’s Department of Health.

It’s now likely Pennsylvania will surpass the 300,000 case mark over the weekend. The state’s total number of cases — confirmed and probable — since the pandemic began in March is now at 295,786.

Of the new cases, 6,132 were confirmed from 26,151 unique PCR tests — a positive rate of 23.45%. Including those who were retaking the test, a total of 54,209 tests were conducted in the past day — yielding a positivity rate of 11.31%.

For a third straight day, the state reported a three-digit number of covid-related deaths, posting another 108 on Friday. That brings the total in Pennsylvania to 9,689.

Of the new deaths, 107 are from November and one is from September.

Over the past three days, the state has reported 334 deaths — nearly the same amount it recorded from Nov. 9-17 (335).

So far in November, there have been 713 deaths recorded, which has already passed October’s total of 682 to become the fourth-deadliest month in the pandemic.

On Friday, 20 counties reported new case counts of more than 100, with Philadelphia leading the way with 849. It was followed by Allegheny (484), Bucks (389), Montgomery (345), Lancaster (343) and Delaware (274). Among Western Pennsylvania counties posting three-digit counts were Erie (197), Westmoreland (189), Butler (113) and Washington (103).

On Thursday, state officials urged Pennsylvanians to do their part in reducing transmission of the virus.

“The holidays are a time for togetherness, but this year, we must rethink what that looks like,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “This Thanksgiving, choose to celebrate with the people in your household and virtually connect with your loved ones.

“If you plan to leave your home to celebrate the holiday, please follow the travel mitigation order, wear a mask and stay six feet apart from others. Weather-permitting, sit outside and enjoy the day. Do whatever you can to limit the spread of covid-19 at this critical point of the pandemic.”

To date, a total of 11,175 individuals have a positive serology (antigen) test and are considered probable cases, with another 643 individuals with a positive serology test and covid-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

According to the state’s covid-19 tracking website, there are 3,162 Pennsylvanians hospitalized with the virus, with 661 of them in intensive care units and 351 on ventilators. State officials report there are 5,052 operational ventilators in the state, with 1,342 (26.6%) currently in use for all illnesses.

In nursing and personal care homes, there have been 31,148 resident cases of covid, with 6,315 cases among employees.

About 13,886 of Pennsylvania’s cases have been among health care workers.