BEYOND COVID

COVID cases going down in Tri-state area

Three years into the Coronavirus Pandemic, and finally we’re able to report promising news. The number of reported cases of Covid has dropped immensely in the keystone state. That is music to our ears. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports 5,157 new cases--for the week running March 15 to 21. That’s about 900 fewer than the previous week and about half cases reported for the same week in February when state officials tallied 10,266.

These case counts do not include positives from athome test kits or those not reported to the state agency. Pennsylvania has exceeded more than 3.5 million confirmed and probable cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic in the U.S.

COVID-19 cases in the U.S. (as a whole) have been declining in recent weeks, though U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data through Wednesday, March 22, show a slight uptick in deaths over the last week, with 2,060 reported nationwide.

For the latest reporting week, new deaths in Pennsylvania are down, with 106 counted by state officials, bringing the overall death toll to 50,623.

According to state data updated Wednesday, hospitalizations for COVID treatment also continue to decline. Across Pennsylvania, 671 individuals were reportedly hospitalized, compared to 747 the week prior. The number of severe cases (those in intensive care units) fell from 97 to 91, and 52 patients are on ventilators, up slightly from last week’s 44.