Pennsylvania surpasses 300,000 coronavirus cases; reports 112 deaths

Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 6,778 new coronavirus cases, marking a grim milestone of the Keystone State surpassing 300,000 cases.

The new data bring the total cases to 302,564. Officials said 20,086 of those are considered probable cases.

The state also reported 112 new deaths. Of the new deaths reported Saturday, 111 are from November and one is from October.

The total number of covid-19 deaths in Pennsylvania is 9,801. November became the third deadliest month in the state with 824 deaths so far, passing June (800). April had 3,391 and May had 2,645.

Health officials say there are 3,162 patients currently hospitalized in the state, which is reaching May’s peak numbers for covid hospitalizations.

Out of that number, 661 patients are in an intensive care unit — 181 more than this time last week. That means one out of every five hospitalized patients is in an ICU.

The state said there were 400,523 people tested from last Sunday to Friday with 41,399 positive cases — for a positive rate of 10.3%.

Out of the new cases, 594 — or 8.8% — are from Allegheny County. Philadelphia reported the highest increase in the state (904), accounting for nearly 13.3% of cases. However, that’s more than a 250-case decrease from last Saturday (1,156), which was 22% of the state’s cases at the time.

West­moreland County reported 218 cases Saturday (3.2% positivity).

Seventeen other counties reported case counts of more than 100, including Erie (172), Washington (117) and Butler (110).

About 2.67 million people in Pennsylvania have tested negative for the virus out of a total of just over 2.97 million people in the state who have been tested.

The overall positivity rate is about 10.2%.

According to the state Health Department, the most severe cases are seen in patients over the age of 65. This group accounts for the largest age demographic for hospitalizations and deaths.

In nursing and personal care homes, there have been 31,584 cases in residents and 6,357 in employees.

There have been 6,266 deaths at nursing and personal care homes. These deaths account for about 64% of the state’s total. About 1,207 nursing facilities have been affected by the virus.

Of the total, 13,968 coronavirus cases stem from health care workers.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine urges people to continue to exercise caution when in public — mainly by maintaining social distance and wearing masks.

Mask-wearing is required in all businesses in the state, an action that health officials say is critical preventing the spread of the virus.

She also recommends cleaning surfaces thoroughly and often, and suggests that coughs and sneezes are covered with the inside of the elbows instead of the hands.

Speaking of hands, it is strongly suggested that people wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available.