COVID-19 cases increased last month
In April, the Pennsylvania Department of Health recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases but not in COVID-19 deaths, according to the most recent update from the state agency.
The Health Department announced last week it is transitioning from daily to weekly reports.
Last month, an average of 1,333 new COVID cases were reported each day – compared to 767 reported daily in March – for a total of 39,981 cases in April. There were 651 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on May 1, nearly 200 more than the number reported on April 1, according to the DOH.
In April, the state saw an average of 14 COVID deaths each day, less than half of the number of average daily deaths reported in March. In all, 403 deaths were attributed to COVID-19 in Pennsylvania last month. Comparatively, in March, 984 deaths – about 32 deaths per day – were caused by COVID.
While cases are increasing, the level of community transmission in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties remained low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
“While COVID-19 has not gone away, the department continues to encourage Pennsylvanians to use good public health practices in their daily lives. All of us are empowered to protect ourselves and our families by getting up to date with vaccines, getting tested, taking appropriate action if we test positive, and wearing masks as appropriate to protect those around us,” Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Denise Johnson said in a statement. “The department continues to be responsive to the virus by evaluating COVID-19 trends in our communities.”
To date, in Washington County, there have been a total of 51,409 COVID cases, and a total of 652 deaths. Fayette County has recorded 31,216 cases and 674 deaths since the start of the pandemic, while Greene County has had 8,490 coronavirus cases and reported 104 deaths.
The state Health Department also saw vaccinations more than double in April following the CDC’s approval of second boosters, with an average of 17,369 shots administered per day.
In Washington County, about 65% of residents are fully vaccinated. In Fayette County, the percentage of fully vaccinated residents is 58%, and in Greene, 51%.