Pa. Health Dept. Announces 980 New Coronavirus Cases As Statewide Total Climbs To Over 65,000
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Pennsylvania Department of Health is reporting 980 new cases of Coronavirus on Thursday, in addition to 102 more deaths.
The statewide total number of cases has now risen to 65,392.
The Health Department says all 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. Current patients are either in isolation at home or being treated at the hospital.
Wednesday's results were released later in the day "due to an issue with the statewide surveillance data system," the Health Department said.
The statewide death toll has reached 4,869. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.
State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says there has been one pediatric death in the state; however, the child was not a resident of Pennsylvania.
In total, 303,514 people statewide have tested negative for the virus.
#COVID19 Update (as of 5/21/20 at 12:00 am):
• 980 additional positive cases of COVID-19
• 65,392 total cases statewide
• 4,869 deaths statewide
• 303,514 patients tested negative to dateCounty-specific information + statewide map: https://t.co/7pzosEXhEX
— PA Department of Health (@PAHealthDept) May 21, 2020
State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a press release, "As counties move from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place. We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders. I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19."
Across the state, nearly 37% of the cases have been diagnosed in the 25-49 age group. That group continues to lead the age breakdown. The 65 or older age bracket has nearly 29% of the cases, and the 50-64 age group has about 26% of the cases.
Here is the full age breakdown from the state:
- Nearly 1% are ages 0-4;
- Nearly 1% are ages 5-12;
- Nearly 2% are ages 13-18;
- Nearly 6% are ages 19-24;
- Nearly 37% are ages 25-49;
- Nearly 26% are ages 50-64; and
- Nearly 29% are ages 65 or older.
The state health department numbers show there are 14,113 resident cases of COVID-19 in nursing and personal care homes across Pennsylvania. Among employees, there are 2,306 diagnosed cases. That brings the entire total to 16,419. Out of the total deaths across Pennsylvania, state officials say 3,234 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.
Approximately 4,871 of the state's total cases are in health care workers.
Locally, Allegheny County health officials confirmed 1,718 positive and probable cases on Thursday. Allegheny County has had 144 deaths.
More information on the Coronavirus pandemic:
- CDC Coronavirus Information
- CDC Global Map of Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
- Pennsylvania Department of Health Information
- Allegheny County Health Department Information
Stay with KDKA for the latest on the developing story.
