State COVID-19 dashboard update shows no increase in cases or deaths | Coronavirus

The state Department of Health’s midday Sunday COVID-19 dashboard update showed no increase in cases or deaths.

It has been more than a month since state officials provided weekend updates beyond updating statistics on its dashboard. The dashboard also showed no change in hospitalizations.

New infections from the novel coronavirus have been trending up. In the previous five days, the state averaged 369 new cases per day, including 425 on July 15, the largest increase since June 15. The state averaged 201 new cases per day from June 13 through July 12.

New deaths linked to the novel coronavirus have remained low, averaging six per day in the month of July with a high of 13 on July 14.

The virus has killed 27,790 Pennsylvania residents, including 606 in the Valley since the state Department of Health started tracking the virus in March 2020.

Since the pandemic was declared, 1,216,165 Pennsylvanians have been infected, 21,607 of them in the four Susquehanna Valley counties.

Hospitalizations

There were 258 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Pennsylvania according to Sunday’s report, which was identical to Saturdays. Hospitalizations had increased for four consecutive days. Of those patients, 55 were being treated in intensive care units (ICUs), up five. There were 33 patients being treated on ventilators.

In the Valley, there were eight patients being treated in hospitals, level with Friday’s report. That total includes seven at Geisinger in Danville and one at Evangelical Community Hospital. Geisinger was treating three patients in its ICUs at its main hospital in Danville, according to state data, including two on ventilators.

The Valley hospitalization figures also remained the same.

Prisons

There are still two active cases at prisons in the Valley — both staff cases — with one at SCI-Coal Township and one at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Lewisburg. There was no change in the local case count on Saturday or Sunday.

Across the state, there are also 25 inmates in state prisons who have tested positive — the same figure as reported Saturday, down three from Friday — including 13 at SCI-Smithfield in Huntingdon. There are no active inmate cases at SCI-Coal Township. There are 31 active staff cases at state prisons — level with Friday’s report — including the one at SCI-Coal Township.

At four federal prisons in Union County, there remains one total active case of COVID-19 on Thursday, the same number as reported for more than a month.

One staff member at USP-Lewisburg is infected with the virus, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. Since the pandemic started in March 2020, there has been one death at the prisons, a USP-Allenwood inmate.

According to the BOP, 421 staffers and 1,562 inmates at USP-Allenwood are fully vaccinated and 216 staffers and 556 inmates at Lewisburg have been inoculated. Across the nation, 202,074 inmates are fully vaccinated. Vaccination figures at Allenwood and Lewisburg remained unchanged from Saturday’s report.

There are no active cases at the Selinsgrove Center, Danville State Hospital or youth detention facilities in Montour County.