PA Reports Highest Number Of New COVID-19 Cases In 6 Months
HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania reported 1,742 new cases of COVID-19 Saturday — the highest single-day total in nearly six months.
The state has now had a total of 171,050 cases, with 81 percent of patients recovered. Also Saturday, 36 new deaths were reported. There are now 8,344 total deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Pennsylvania.
In Philadelphia, 151 new cases were reported Saturday. The city has seen more than 34,000 cases since the start of the pandemic. Significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds, are ongoing, health officials said. In total, people ages 19 to 49 make up 50 percent of the state's total cases.
Cases in Pennsylvania have trended upward in recent days. On Friday, 1,380 cases of COVID-19 were reported —the highest single-day total since April 29. The last time there were more than 1,700 cases in Pennsylvania was April 16, data shows.
Maggi Mumma, the deputy press secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, said Friday there were not any large data dumps to contribute to the recent increases in the case counts.
"With that being said, we know the majority of these increases in cases are a result of spread within the community. This highlights the importance of mitigation efforts to protect our neighbors, loved ones, coworkers and friends across the commonwealth," she said in an email to Patch.
She added: "As we report a large increase of cases, it is a reminder to all Pennsylvanians that COVID-19 remains a threat in our communities."
Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.
This article originally appeared on the Across Pennsylvania Patch
