HARRISBURG — Cases of COVID-19 continue to skyrocket with Pennsylvania reporting a record 5,488 new positive cases Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 248,856. This is the state’s highest daily increase of cases for the third day in a row.
Pennsylvania is reporting 49 new deaths for a total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 to 9,194.
With the surge in cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health is urging people to download the COVID Alert PA app.
You can find the case numbers by county through the Department of Health’s dashboard HERE.
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There are 2,506,649 individuals who have tested negative to date.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY
The Allegheny County Health Department also reported a record number 412 new coronavirus cases Thursday. Officials said the county could hit 2,000 new cases this week alone.
“We’ve got some issues we’ve got to deal with,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at a news conference Thursday.
He implored parents to not allow their children to go to parties or sleepovers. Fitzgerald said parents need to be safe and responsible and it is the after-school activities that are contributing to the rising cases.
“We really need young people to step up,” Fitzgerald said.
He also talked about people getting together for Steelers parties. He said feel free to cheer and root for the team, but to not do it in groups.
“We will intervene if necessary,” Dr. Debra Bogen said during the news conference.
She said the county and local hospitals have enough equipment to treat people and that more is known about how the virus affects the body compared to earlier in the year. While there are no statewide orders expected to be issued soon, she said the county may have to take action.
“The total cases per week has tripled in less than a month,” Bogen said.
Bogen said people need stop physically interacting with others just as in June and July. She said social events and gatherings were a major cause of the virus spreading. 18 cases have been linked to one wedding that was held with 45 guests.
The surge in cases is straining the county’s ability to conduct contact tracing as well.
The dates of positive tests in the county ranged from Oct. 28 to Nov. 11. Only one positive case is more than one week old. The new cases range in age from 11 months to 98 years with the average age of 38 years.
Three additional deaths were reported with dates of death ranging from Nov. 9 to No. 20. One person was in their 60s. One person was in their 70s. One person was in their 90s. All the deaths were associated with long-term care facilities.
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