Bucks County's COVID cases up 51.1%; Pennsylvania cases surge 68%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read

New coronavirus cases leaped in Pennsylvania in the week ending Sunday, rising 68% as 19,947 cases were reported. The previous week had 11,872 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Pennsylvania ranked 44th 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 increased 29% from the week before, with 947,862 cases reported.

With 3.85% of the country's population, Pennsylvania had 2.1% of the country's cases in the last week.

Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Pennsylvania, skewing week-to-week comparisons. ​

The Fourth of July holiday disrupted who got tested, when people got tested and when both test results and deaths were reported. This also may significantly skew week-to-week comparisons.

Lower Bucks Hospital nurses and staff gather outside to listen to the Harry S. Truman High School Marching Band perform Thursday, March 24, 2022, during a ceremony marking the two-year anniversary of the hospital's first COVID patient.
Lower Bucks Hospital nurses and staff gather outside to listen to the Harry S. Truman High School Marching Band perform Thursday, March 24, 2022, during a ceremony marking the two-year anniversary of the hospital's first COVID patient.

Bucks County reported 872 cases and 16 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 577 cases and two deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 135,843 cases and 1,964 deaths.

Montgomery County reported 1,375 cases and eight deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 935 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 172,362 cases and 2,388 deaths.​

Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Washington County with 243 cases per 100,000 per week; Fayette County with 220; and Juniata County with 214. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Both Bucks and Montgomery counties are in what the CDC considers a medium level of transmission. People at high risk for severe illness should talk to their health care provider about whether they need to wear a mask and take other precautions.

A sign warning of mask requirements hangs on the front door on the first day of school with masks being mandatory Tuesday, August 18, 2020 at Abrams Hebrew Academy in Yardley, Pennsylvania. According to Rabbi Ira Budow, the school is starting their semester early and has built three weeks into its schedule in case there is a COVID-19 stoppage. (WILLIAM THOMAS CAIN / PHOTOJOURNALIST)

More than half the cases sequenced in the region are the omicron BA.5 variant.

Adding the most new cases overall were Philadelphia County, with 2,657 cases; Allegheny County, with 2,431 cases; and Montgomery County, with 1,375. Weekly case counts rose in 66 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Allegheny, Philadelphia and Montgomery counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

In Pennsylvania, ​ 128 ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 55 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,038,076 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 45,949 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 89,542,107 people have tested positive and 1,023,799 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Pennsylvania's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, July 17. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 3,837

  • The week before that: 3,490

  • Four weeks ago: 3,715

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 73,328

  • The week before that: 67,692

  • Four weeks ago: 57,602

Hospitals in 36 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 27 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 40 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.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County reported 872 additional COVID-19 cases this week