Franklin County's COVID cases up 15%; Pennsylvania cases holding steady

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
·3 min read

While the number of new reported cases of coronavirus is increasing in Franklin and Fulton County, the number of deaths and hospitalizations associated with the virus that causes COVID-19 is not climbing as fast, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.

Pennsylvania reported 20,240 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, from 19,947 the week before of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Pennsylvania ranked 46th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, the analysis shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 7.7% from the week before, with 862,778 cases reported. With 3.85% of the country's population, Pennsylvania had 2.35% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 23 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. Additionally, people not reporting the results of at-home tests creates a potential undercount of new cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend contacting your doctor to report the results of your test.

How many new cases were reported in Franklin and Fulton counties?

Franklin County reported 329 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 286 cases and one death. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 43,350 cases and 711 deaths.

Fulton County reported 28 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 31 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 4,345 cases and 66 deaths.​

Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Cambria County with 253 cases per 100,000 per week; Montour County with 241; and Lackawanna County with 238. 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 Philadelphia County, with 2,739 cases; Allegheny County, with 2,205 cases; and Montgomery County, with 1,298. Weekly case counts rose in 40 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Lackawanna, Cambria and Philadelphia counties.

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

Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 24 counties, with the best declines in Allegheny County, with 2,205 cases from 2,431 a week earlier; in Montgomery County, with 1,298 cases from 1,375; and in Beaver County, with 218 cases from 286. ​

In Pennsylvania, 98 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 128 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,058,316 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 46,047 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 90,410,386 people have tested positive and 1,026,951 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 24. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 4,181

  • The week before that: 3,747

  • Four weeks ago: 3,547

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 75,961

  • The week before that: 70,927

  • Four weeks ago: 61,308

Hospitals in 33 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 33 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 38 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 Chambersburg Public Opinion: Franklin County reported 329 additional COVID-19 cases this week