Travelers wait in line to board a train at the 30th Street Station ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Philadelphia. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household.
Matt Slocum / AP Photo
Matt Slocum / AP Photo
Travelers wait in line to board a train at the 30th Street Station ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, Friday, Nov. 20, 2020, in Philadelphia. With the coronavirus surging out of control, the nation's top public health agency pleaded with Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving and not to spend the holiday with people from outside their household.
Pennsylvania has marked another grim milestone: more than 300,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The Pennsylvania Department of Health today reported a total of 302,564 cases after weeks of multiple record-setting daily increases.
It took more than four months for the state to accumulate its first 100,000 cases of COVID-19, a milestone passed on July 18. Today’s news comes less than a month after Pennsylvania surpassed 200,000 cases, on Oct. 28.
While testing has increased from levels seen in the spring, this drastic rise in cases isn’t entirely the result of additional testing. The state’s positivity rate — the percentage of tests coming back positive — was 9.6% for the week of Nov. 6 to 12, indicating rapid spread of infections. Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has urged residents to spend Thanksgiving with their own household instead of participating in larger holiday gatherings.
Hospitalizations are also on the rise, according to the department’s COVID-19 dashboard. The state reported 3,294 hospitalized COVID-19 patients today — that’s nearly twice as many serious cases of the illness as the state had two weeks ago. More than 700 patients are being treated in intensive care units.
Here’s a glance at trends in central Pennsylvania:
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
