Centre County registered one new COVID-19 death and 30 more cases of the virus on Friday, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The death is the county’s 336th attributed to the virus since March 2020 and 14th reported this month. The new cases bring the county’s total to 34,668 (30,812 confirmed and 3,856 probable).
Centre County’s seven-day moving average for new cases is 33, down from 45 a week ago and 61 two weeks ago.
Pennsylvania recorded 1,583 new cases to bring the statewide total to 2,752,935.
The commonwealth’s seven-day average is 2,065, down from 2,985, a week ago and 3,987 two weeks ago. The statewide average is the lowest since mid-August.
With 79 COVID-19 deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry, the statewide total is now 43,148.
Pennsylvania preparing for transition to endemic stage of COVID-19
With cases and hospitalizations rapidly falling, Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said on Friday that the commonwealth is preparing for the transition to the endemic stage of the virus. A disease is considered endemic when it is consistently present but limited in a region, such as the seasonal flu. The World Health Organization still classifies COVID-19 as a pandemic, which is when a disease grows exponentially across multiple countries.
“Vaccinations remain our best defense against this virus, and it is great to see thousands of residents stepping forward each day to get vaccinated,” Klinepeter said. “That’s why we are prepared to move beyond the current phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to continued vaccinations, we know that the key to our transition will be a strong public health infrastructure that can support our needs as we move to the next phase of our response and recovery.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday changed the metrics used to determine whether masks should be used. The new metrics include not only new cases, but also new hospitalizations and local hospital capacity.
Previously, masks were recommended for areas with high or substantial levels of transmission. Substantial transmission was considered 50 to 100 cases per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of 8 to 10%. High transmission was 100 or more cases per 100,000 people and a positivity rate of 10% or higher.
CDC now lists community levels as low, medium or high. At the low and medium levels, there is no recommendation for indoor masking except for people at increased risk for COVID-19.
Now only about 28% of people in the United States live in an area where masks should be worn. Masks are still required in public transportation.
Centre County is still listed at the high level on Friday, along with 15 other counties in Pennsylvania.
Temporary ordinances in State College and Patton Township require masking while Centre County was at the substantial or high levels of transmission.
Hospitalizations
Local COVID-19 hospitalizations remain at their lowest level since early September. Mount Nittany Medical Center had 15 COVID-19 patients on Friday, one more than on Thursday, with none in intensive care or on ventilators for the 12th consecutive day.
The patients range in age from 31 to 100, according to Mount Nittany’s COVID-19 inpatient dashboard. seven are fully vaccinated and eight are not vaccinated.
Statewide, COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped to their lowest level since Aug. 24. According to the DOH hospital preparedness dashboard, 1,573 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in Pennsylvania, 47 fewer than on Thursday, with 282 patients in intensive care [-3] and 177 on ventilators [-14].
Nursing and personal care home cases
Long-term care facilities in Centre County reported two new COVID-19 cases among residents and one among employees. A total of 20 nursing and personal care homes in the county have had a combined 778 resident cases, 750 employee cases and 182 resident deaths.
Prison cases
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Benner state prison has four active COVID-19 cases among inmates and four among staff.
Rockview state prison has no active inmate cases and three among staff.
Both facilities are in Benner Township.
At Benner, 1,469 inmates are fully vaccinated, 19 are partially vaccinated and 194 are not vaccinated. Among staff, 313 are fully vaccinated and 315 are not vaccinated.
Rockview has 1,691 inmates who are fully vaccinated and 63 who are not vaccinated. Among staff, 350 are fully vaccinated and 367 are not vaccinated.
Vaccinations
As of Friday morning, 94,096 people in Centre County are fully vaccinated, an increase of 43 since Thursday, and 14,072 are partially covered [+12]. Booster doses have been administered to 48,662 county residents [+60].
Among the county’s entire population, 69.3% have received at least one dose, 59% are fully vaccinated and 50.5% are fully vaccinated with a booster, according to the CDC. Among adult residents, 74.6% have received at least one dose, 63.1% are fully vaccinated and 53.1% have received a booster.
Statewide, 76.4% of adults and 66.9% of the total population are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination appointments are available through Centre Volunteers in Medicine, Mount Nittany Health and through other pharmacies and providers listed at vaccines.gov.
All individuals age 12 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot.
Centre County’s cases by zip code:
*Note: Changes are in brackets. Specific numbers for zip codes with 1-4 cases are redacted by the health department. Cases are not always immediately assigned zip codes.
16801 (State College): 8,506 confirmed [+4], 1,160 probable [-1]
16823 (Bellefonte and Pleasant Gap): 6,144 confirmed [+11], 568 probable
16803 (State College): 3,191 confirmed [+1], 641 probable
16866 (Philipsburg): 2,037 confirmed [+2], 296 probable
16802 (University Park): 1,832 confirmed [+1], 269 probable
16870 (Port Matilda): 1,267 confirmed [+7], 169 probable
16841 (Howard): 1,068 confirmed [+3], 98 probable
16828 (Centre Hall): 777 confirmed, 81 probable
16827 (Boalsburg): 724 confirmed, 101 probable [+1]
16875 (Spring Mills): 646 confirmed, 73 probable
16844 (Julian): 538 confirmed, 52 probable
16845 (Karthaus): 514 confirmed, 35 probable
16877 (Warrior’s Mark): 291 confirmed, 29 probable
16853 (Milesburg): 283 confirmed [+1], 20 probable
16874 (Snow Shoe): 272 confirmed, 36 probable
16826 (Blanchard): 242 confirmed, 16 probable
16865 (Pennsylvania Furnace): 220 confirmed, 21 probable
16820 (Aaronsburg): 186 confirmed [+1], 26 probable
16829 (Clarence): 178 confirmed, 24 probable
16854 (Millheim): 177 confirmed, 15 probable [-1]
16872 (Rebersburg): 164 confirmed, 16 probable
16851 (Lemont): 157 confirmed, 25 probable
16859 (Moshannon): 97 confirmed [-1], 6 probable
16868 (Pine Grove Mills): 94 confirmed, 11 probable
16832 (Coburn): 89 confirmed, 8 probable
16677 (Sandy Ridge): 80 confirmed, 6 probable
16835 (Fleming): 59 confirmed, 8 probable
16856 (Mingoville): 51 confirmed, 10 probable
16852 (Madisonburg): 43 confirmed, 5 probable
16882 (Woodward): 39 confirmed, 5 confirmed
16804 (State College): 20 confirmed, 1-4 confirmed
16863 (Orviston): 20 confirmed
16805 (State College): 1-4 confirmed
Cases among Centre County’s bordering counties
Blair: 29,314 [+18]
Clearfield: 18,993 [+26]
Mifflin: 12,165 [+9]
Union: 11,530 [+18]
Huntingdon: 11,383 [+16]
Clinton: 8,956 [+8]
