All Pennsylvania counties at low COVID community level, even as deaths tick up slightly

Jackie Starkey
·2 min read

All of Pennsylvania’s counties are at a low COVID-19 community level, according to the Thursday update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Despite this good news, the state Department of Health reports a slight uptick in deaths from the virus, with 86 new fatalities attributed to the coronavirus as of Thursday. The week prior, 80 new deaths were reported, and to date, 50,946 people have succumb to COVID-19 in Pennsylvania.

For the most recent reporting week, April 12 to 18, the state DOH counted 2,312 cases of the virus, down from the prior reporting period’s 3,427.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 also fell in Pennsylvania during the latest week for which data are available. The number of individuals at facilities for treatment fell from 430 to 341. Of those, 51 are in adult intensive care units, down from 55, and 26 are ventilators, up by two from last week.

The declining metrics in Pennsylvania fall in line with the U.S. as a whole, with around 94,000 weekly cases reported nationwide for the week ending April 19. The CDC counted 1,160 weekly deaths in the U.S. during the same period.

Reporting metrics could change in the coming weeks, however, as the end of the national public health emergency declarations looms May 11. One state, Iowa, has already discontinued all mandatory reporting.

COVID-19 community levels in Pennsylvania

Though two counties were at medium last week, the revised CDC community levels map shows all 67 Pennsylvania counties at low as of Thursday.

The levels are updated weekly for each U.S. county using state data on total new cases and hospitalizations per 100,000 individuals, as well as an average percent of COVID-occupied, staffed hospital beds.

This map of Pennsylvania from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows COVID-19 community levels by county as of April 21, 2023. All counties are at low (green), as opposed to medium (yellow) or high (orange).
This map of Pennsylvania from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows COVID-19 community levels by county as of April 21, 2023. All counties are at low (green), as opposed to medium (yellow) or high (orange).

In counties at high, the CDC recommends wearing a mask in public, indoor places. That recommendation holds for those at higher risk of severe illness in medium-level areas.

Staying up to date on vaccinations and testing when symptoms arise are universal recommendations regardless of community level.

COVID-19 in Centre County

Centre County remains at a low community level, as it has for several weeks.

Using data through April 19, the CDC reports zero new cases in the county, though the latest reporting includes only cases counted by state health authorities and not those detected through at-home test kits.

The positivity rate in the county — the percent of positive tests over the total administered — has fallen to 2.07%, though the number of tests conducted has dropped by nearly 16% from the previous week.

Mount Nittany Health providers are treating six COVID-19 patients as of Friday, according to the hospital’s dashboard. None of the individuals are in ICU or on ventilators.

To find a free COVID-19 vaccine or booster near you, visit vaccines.gov.

Note: This graphic will automatically update as new data become available.