State adds 4,500 COVID-19 infections, including 83 in Valley – Sunbury Daily Item

Pennsylvania reported 4,500 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday.

It was the fifth consecutive day with 4,500 or more. There haven't been that many days with 4,500 new cases consecutively since Jan. 30. Last year, the state did not report 4,500 or more cases for five consecutive days until Nov. 24.

The new cases included 83 in the Susquehanna Valley counties: 51 in Northumberland County, 18 in Snyder and seven each in Montour and Union counties. There have been 646 new infections in the Valley in the last seven days.

A Northumberland County resident's death was linked to COVID-19 marking the sixth consecutive day with at least one Valley death being attributed to the virus. Statewide, there were 17 new deaths.

All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have high levels of community transmission of COVID according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High transmission means a county has reported at least 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past week.

As of noon Saturday, there were 2,337 patients in Pennsylvania hospitals with COVID-19 symptoms, level with Friday's and Saturdays reports.

Of those hospitalized, 589 were being treated in intensive care units (ICUs), and 283 were being treated on ventilators. Those numbers also remained unchanged on Sunday.

Among 74 patients in Valley medical facilities, there were 14 patients in intensive care units at Geisinger in Danville, four at Evangelical and none at Geisinger-Shamokin. All were the same numbers as reported Friday and Saturday.

Geisingers Danville location was also treating 8 patients on ventilators, as many as were reported Friday and Saturday. Evangelical had three patients on ventilators for at least the third consecutive day.

At Geisingers main campus in Danville, there were 43 COVID-19 positive patients. There were 19 patients at Evangelical and 12 at Geisinger-Shamokin. According to Evangelical hospital, 18 of the 19 patients hospitalized are unvaccinated.

There were five cases at the prisons in Union County, the same number as reported Saturday. At the medium-security unit in Allenwood, there were two staff cases, and there was one active inmate and two staff cases at the U.S. Penitentiary (USP) in Allenwood. There are no active cases at USP-Lewisburg.

USP Lewisburg and USP Allenwood both remained in the BOPs Level 3 of COVID modifications on Saturday. The modifications are based on the facilities COVID-19 medical isolation rate, combined percentage of staff and inmate completed vaccinations series, and their respective county transmission rates.

At each level, an infection prevention procedure or modification to operations such as inmate programming and services may be made to mitigate the risk and spread of COVID-19 in accordance with BOP pandemic guidance. BOP pandemic guidance follows and integrates guidance and direction from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Justice, and established medical best practices.

The BOP reports 95 of 98 federal prisons are in Level 3 modifications.

The state Department of Corrections reported five active staff cases at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) in Coal Township on Saturday, level with Fridays and Saturday's reports. There were 120 inmate cases statewide, the same number as reported Saturday, including 85 at SCI Chester, but none at SCI Coal Township. There are 98 staff cases statewide the same number as reported Friday.

There were still active COVID-19 cases among persons receiving services and staff members at the Selinsgrove Center on Sunday. The cases were both listed as less than five. The state does not release precise numbers unless there are more than five to avoid identifying a patient.

At the North Central Secure Treatment Unit juvenile facility in Danville, there were no cases among residents at the boys or girls units. Both units had less than five staff cases.

No active cases were reported at the Danville State Hospital.

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State adds 4,500 COVID-19 infections, including 83 in Valley - Sunbury Daily Item