Pa. coronavirus update: 758 new cases; statewide case rate declining but 17 counties show ‘concerning’ trend; - lehighvalleylive.com

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Pennsylvania had 1,252 fewer coronavirus cases this week than last, a sign that the statewide case rate may once again be slowing.

But the virus has not been eliminated: 758 new cases and 15 more deaths were reported in Friday’s daily report from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, pushing the statewide case total to 117,279 and the COVID-19 death toll to 7,297.

(Can’t see the map? Click here.)

Meanwhile, a state database shows 17 counties with “concerning” high rates of positive tests.

Locally, the Lehigh Valley has seen week-to-week improvements in both confirmed cases and positivity rates. One nearby county reached 10,000 total cases in Friday’s state report, the only county so far to do so outside of Philadelphia.

Also on Friday, the health department issued guidance for mothers who are breastfeeding during COVID-19.

Here are your Pennsylvania coronavirus updates for Aug. 7, 2020.

(Can’t see the table? Click here.)

Coronavirus in Pa.

The seven-day rate of Pa. coronavirus cases declined for the ninth-straight day on Friday. The state is averaging 747 new cases a day over the last seven days, down from 925 a week ago.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

The rate of COVID-19 deaths rose this week: An average of 15 Pennsylvanians a day died over the last seven days, up from last week’s 13 deaths a day average.

The health department estimates that 77% of Pennsylvania’s coronavirus patients have so far recovered.

Masks are still required when leaving home.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

17 counties with ‘concerning’ positivity rate

Each week, the health department updates its online “early warning monitoring system” and identifies counties with a “concerning” percentage of positive cases, above the World Health Organization’s recommended threshold of 5%.

(The state calculates percent positivity based on total tests, including duplicates. This method puts the Pennsylvania’s percent-positivity at 4.1% over the last week. Another way, used by lehighvalleylive.com and Johns Hopkins University, calculates percent positivity based on individuals tested, eliminating duplicate tests – that method shows statewide positivity at 5.2% over the last seven days.)

This week, 17 counties, many in rural central and western Pennsylvania, were above 5% positivity, by the state’s calculation. They are:

• Union County (11.8%)
• Indiana County (7.9%)
• Fayette County (7.7%)
• Fulton County (7.4%)
• Huntingdon County (6.7%)
• Erie County (6.2%)
• Mercer County (6/2%)
• Lawrence County (6%)
• Northumberland County (6%)
• York County (5.8%)
• Clearfield County (5.7%)
• Luzerne County (5.4%)
• Juniata County (5.3%)
• Lancaster County (5.3%)
• Beaver County (5.2%)
• Delaware County (5.2%)
• Mifflin County (5%)

(MORE: How to understand Pa. COVID-19 data with interactive charts)

Last week, there were 12 counties above 5% positivity, including Berks to the Lehigh Valley’s immediate west.

The lower the positivity rate, the more likely that testing is capturing the full spread of the virus in a community. On the other hand, high positivity rates show that only the sickest people are being tested – which means that people with few or no symptoms may be unknowingly spreading the virus.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Coronavirus in the Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley totals 8,831 cases of COVID-19 and 628 deaths. Friday’s state report showed 28 new cases for the region, and no new deaths. That breaks down to:

• 4,918 cases and 336 deaths in Lehigh County, an increase of 17 cases from the prior day.
• 3,913 cases and 292 deaths in Northampton County, an increase of 11 cases from the prior day.

(Can’t see the chart? Click here.)

Lehigh County had 104 confirmed cases over the last week, down from 177 the previous week. The county’s positivity rate dropped to 3.1% this week, from 4% a week ago.

Northampton County had 85 cases in the last week, down from 123 the previous week. The county’s positivity rate dropped to 2.9% this week, down from 3.4% last week.

Counties that are adjacent to the Lehigh Valley range widely in total cases and deaths. One has reached 10,000 cases, per Friday’s state data report:

• Berks County had 5,321 total cases and 368 deaths, with 19 new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Bucks County had 7,147 total cases and 582 deaths, with 29 new cases and one death reported in the last day.
• Carbon County had 368 total cases and 28 deaths, with one case and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Monroe County had 1,618 total cases and 124 deaths, with four cases and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Montgomery County had 10,015 total cases and 855 deaths, with 32 new cases and no deaths reported in the last day.
• Schuylkill County had 908 total cases and 50 deaths, with one case and no deaths reported in the last day.

(Can’t see the table? Click here.)

Breastfeeding during COVID-19

The Pa. health department said that moms who are breastfeeding should continue doing so even if the mother or child becomes sick.

The milk provides human antibodies that can help the child’s developing immune system, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said in a news release.

But if a mother tests positive for COVID-19, there are precautions that can be taken while continuing to feed or express milk. The health department, citing the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends wearing a face covering; washing hands before each feeding; using a dedicated breast pump, not sharing one; properly cleaning the pump after use; and, if possible, having expressed milk fed to the baby by a healthy caregiver living in the same home.

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Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com.

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