Covid hospitalizations in Pa. continue to fall

The number of people in Pennsylvania hospitalized because of the coronavirus continues to fall.

The state Department of Health on Thursday reported 3,138 people were being treated for covid-19 in hospitals, 86 fewer than the day before. It marked the 14th day out of the past 15 that the number of hospitalizations has dropped. The only other day it didn’t, the state reported an uptick of one additional hospitalization.

There were an additional 3,370 cases of coronavirus reported Thursday, as the seven-day average of cases fell to its lowest level since Nov. 14. There were an additional 146 deaths attributed to covid-19, the health department said.

Of the 3,138 people hospitalized with covid statewide, 653 are in an intensive care unit and 374 require the use of a ventilator, according to the state’s covid-19 dashboard.

There are currently 3,606 adult ICU beds in the state, with 710 available. The state has 6,103 total ventilators, with 1,654 in use by patients suffering any ailment, according to the state health department.

Of the newly reported cases, 2,458 are confirmed.

Health officials define a probable case as one in which a patient has a positive viral antigen test or covid symptoms with a “high-risk exposure” to someone who has been confirmed to have coronavirus.

Since the coronavirus was first reported in the state in March, 3,670,804 people have tested negative, according to the state. The state reports that 84% of cases are listed as “recovered.” If a case has not been reported as a death, and it is more than 30 days past the date of their first positive test (or onset of symptoms) then an individual is considered recovered.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 63,756 resident cases of covid-19, and 12,337 cases among employees, for a total of 76,093 at 1,548 distinct facilities in all 67 counties.

Of the state’s total deaths, 11,578 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.

Health care workers account for about 23,431 of the state’s total cases.