Pennsylvania reports 843 new coronavirus cases, 16 new deaths

Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 843 new coronavirus cases, as the case count inches slowly upward from yesterday’s 835.

The state Department of Health reported 16 new deaths attributed to coronavirus after posting 20 on Friday. Tuesday’s total of 26 was the highest total of the week.

The total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania is 7,671.

The new data brings the total cases to 132,834. Officials said 654 are considered probable cases.

The state said there were 158,746 individuals tested from Aug. 22-28, with 4,336 positive cases — for a 2.7% positivity rate.

Out of the new cases, 83 — or nearly 9.8% — are from Allegheny County. Philadelphia reported an increase of 109, accounting for nearly 13% of the state’s cases.

More than 1.5 million people in the state have tested negative for the virus; in total 1.63 million have been tested for the virus in the state.

The positivity rate is nearly 8%.

As of Saturday, 82% of people who tested positive have recovered from the virus, state officials said.

According to the Health Department, the most severe cases are seen in patients over the age of 65. More than half of the cases in Pennsylvania are seen in patients age 50 or older.

In nursing and personal care homes alone, there have been 20,979 cases in residents and 4,578 cases in employees.

There have been 5,186 deaths at nursing and personal care homes. These deaths account for just under 68% of the state’s total. About 826 nursing facilities have been affected by the virus.

Of the total, 9,565 coronavirus cases stem from health care workers.

Officials continue to urge people to use caution — mainly by maintaining social distance and wearing masks.

“The mitigation efforts in place now are essential as the new school year approaches and we work to ensure our children can get back to learning,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings and telework will help keep our case counts low.”