Covid-19: Pennsylvania Averages Record 5,000 Hospitalizations Daily

Nearly 6,000 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in Pennsylvania, which has seen record levels of cases across the state this past week, authorities said. .

State Public Health Laboratory testing for COVID-19 in Exton, Pennsylvania
Photo Credit: *PA Health Department*

Pennsylvania ranks fifth nationwide in active COVID-19 cases during the past week. (*NOTE: NY's total is for Upstate only. It does not include 30,065 cases recorded in New York City during the past seven days.) New Jersey ranked 13th last week.
Photo Credit: *CDC*

Jon Craig

12/29/2020 12:53 p.m.

The Keystone State has averaged more than 5,000 patients in the hospital every day during the past week due to COVID-19, state officials said on Tuesday.

That's an all-time high for the state since the coronavirus epidemic arrived in In fact, it's nearly double the state's last peak in spring, officials said.

It also coincides with the nation's peak for hospitalizations which was recorded on Monday, according to The Hill.

A total of 1,174 coronavirus patients were in Intensive Care Units on Monday, Pennsylvania officials said.

Coronavirus hospitalizations in the United States also hit an all-time high on Monday, with more than 121,000 people hospitalized nationwide, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The national figure includes 22,592 intensive care patients, an increase from 16 percent capacity in September to 40 percent this week.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed that as of midnight, there were 8,545 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 622,349. This past week, Pennsylvania ranked fifth nationwide in its average total of coronavirus cases, behind California, Texas, Florida and New York state, according to the CDC.

There are 5,995 individuals hospitalized in Pennsylvania with COVID-19, nearly double the state's initial peak in the spring, state officials said onTuesday. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older, they said.

"The trend in the 14-day moving average of number of hospitalized patients per day has increased by nearly 5,600 since the end of September," the state Health Department said in a press statement.

Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Pennsylvania hospitals began receiving shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 14 and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine the week of Dec. 21.

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