New coronavirus cases leaped in Pennsylvania in the week ending Sunday, rising 17.7% as 24,281 cases were reported. The previous week had 20,626 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Pennsylvania ranked 23rd among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 11.2% from the week before, with 707,345 cases reported. With 3.85% of the country’s population, Pennsylvania had 3.43% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, eight states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Pennsylvania, skewing week-to-week comparisons.
Franklin County reported 454 cases and three deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 432 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 44,984 cases and 723 deaths.
Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Fayette County with 377 cases per 100,000 per week; Greene County with 370; and Fulton County with 310. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Allegheny County, with 3,198 cases; Philadelphia County, with 1,836 cases; and Montgomery County, with 1,208. Weekly case counts rose in 51 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Allegheny, Westmoreland and Fayette counties.
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Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 15 counties, with the best declines in Philadelphia County, with 1,836 cases from 2,374 a week earlier; in Carbon County, with 104 cases from 132; and in Perry County, with 36 cases from 59.
In Pennsylvania, 140 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 113 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,150,248 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 46,514 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 93,641,944 people have tested positive and 1,041,149 people have died.
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Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Aug. 21. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
- Last week: 4,240
- The week before that: 4,067
- Four weeks ago: 4,054
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
- Last week: 68,647
- The week before that: 69,679
- Four weeks ago: 73,529
Hospitals in 14 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 19 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 20 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
