Lawrence County's COVID cases up 14.6%; Pennsylvania cases holding steady

Mike Stucka
·4 min read

Pennsylvania reported 193,490 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, from 188,008 the week before of the virus that causes COVID-19.

A COVID-19 patient on a ventilator is checked by Megan Lee, a resident nurse at Stormont Vail Health, inside the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the hospital in Topeka, Kansas, on Jan. 7.
A COVID-19 patient on a ventilator is checked by Megan Lee, a resident nurse at Stormont Vail Health, inside the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the hospital in Topeka, Kansas, on Jan. 7.

Pennsylvania ranked 32nd 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 5.8% from the week before, with 5,438,242 cases reported. With 3.85% of the country's population, Pennsylvania had 3.56% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 39 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Many counties did not report during data during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, disrupting the latest week's statistics. That data is being compared to a week with backlogged cases and deaths from the New Year's holiday weekend. Week-to-week comparisons are skewed and these numbers will be unreliable even as they're accurate to what states reported.

Lawrence County reported 1,101 cases and 10 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 961 cases and 13 deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 16,869 cases and 357 deaths.

Beaver County reported 2,499 cases and 19 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 1,805 cases and 20 deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 34,321 cases and 643 deaths.

Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Lehigh County with 2,309 cases per 100,000 per week; Northampton County with 2,126; and Carbon County with 2,114. 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 22,666 cases; Philadelphia County, with 21,255 cases; and Montgomery County, with 10,377. Weekly case counts rose in 57 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in York, Westmoreland and Cumberland counties.

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

Pennsylvania ranked 14th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 79.9% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 74.6%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Pennsylvania reported administering another 376,353 vaccine doses, including 135,278 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 320,238 vaccine doses, including 116,671 first doses. In all, Pennsylvania reported it has administered 20,725,462 total doses.

Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 10 counties, with the best declines in Philadelphia County, with 21,255 cases from 27,468 a week earlier; in Delaware County, with 7,798 cases from 10,158; and in Allegheny County, with 22,666 cases from 23,822.

In Pennsylvania, 954 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 950 people were reported dead.

A total of 2,458,722 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 38,619 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States, 65,699,947 people have tested positive and 850,605 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, Jan. 16.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 9,665

  • The week before that: 9,432

  • Four weeks ago: 6,854

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 203,221

  • The week before that: 185,954

  • Four weeks ago: 90,739

Hospitals in 41 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 35 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 43 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 Ellwood City Ledger: Lawrence County COVID cases increased by 1,101 this week