Vaccination rates climb as COVID-19 cases increase

Randy Griffith, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 24—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — As new COVID-19 cases continue to edge higher, vaccine distribution has also jumped.

Tuesday's update by the Pennsylvania Department of Health added 2,795 new COVID-19 cases, putting the state's rolling, seven-day average at 2,623 cases a day.

That's up from an average of 927 cases a day for the past seven days of July.

The average had remained at fewer than 200 cases a day through late June and the first two weeks of July.

The seven-day average number of vaccines administered also hit a low point in mid-July, at about 11,000 vaccines a day, before beginning to climb slowly.

On Tuesday, the health department reported an average of 17,300 vaccines a day were administered over the past seven days — the highest average since June. The state's vaccination program peaked in mid-April with an average of almost 107,000 doses a day.

Combining updates from the state health department and Philadelphia Department of Public Health shows vaccine providers have administered 13,931,637 doses and 6,765,074 people are fully vaccinated across Pennsylvania.

Bedford County recorded one additional COVID-19 death among 22 deaths reported Tuesday by the health department.

The update brings the state totals to 1,272,350 cases and 28,098 death attributed to COVID-10.

Cambria County added 31 cases, Somerset County added 21 cases, Bedford County added four cases, Blair County added 16 cases, Indiana County added 19 cases, Clearfield County added 22 cases, Centre County added 15 cases and Westmoreland County added 92 cases with Tuesday's report.

All eight counties have community transmission rates that put them under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation for everyone — even those fully vaccinated — to wear masks when gathering indoors.

Centre County's seven-day rate of 92 cases per 100,000 residents identifies the county as having substantial risk, under the CDC definition. The other seven counties in the region all have high community transmission.