Beaver County's COVID cases fall 14.4%; Pennsylvania cases plummet 16.7%
Pennsylvania reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 20,626 new cases. That's down 16.7% from the previous week's tally of 24,748 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Pennsylvania ranked 34th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 2.3% from the week before, with 795,621 cases reported. With 3.85% of the country's population, Pennsylvania had 2.59% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, seven states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.
Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Pennsylvania, skewing week-to-week comparisons.
Beaver County reported 249 cases and two deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 291 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 44,237 cases and 766 deaths.
Allegheny County reported 2,042 cases and 10 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 2,661 cases and six deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 304,335 cases and 3,459 deaths.
​ Across Pennsylvania, cases fell in 36 counties, with the best declines in Philadelphia County, with 2,374 cases from 5,149 a week earlier; in Allegheny County, with 2,042 cases from 2,661; and in Westmoreland County, with 555 cases from 746. ​
>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases
​Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Fulton County with 420 cases per 100,000 per week; Montour County with 302; and Franklin County with 279. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.
Adding the most new cases overall were Philadelphia County, with 2,374 cases; Allegheny County, with 2,042 cases; and Montgomery County, with 1,139. Weekly case counts rose in 31 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Franklin, York and Lackawanna counties.
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In Pennsylvania, ​ 113 ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 97 people were reported dead.
A total of 3,125,967 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 46,374 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States, 92,927,104 people have tested positive and 1,037,021 people have died.
>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States
Pennsylvania's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising
USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Aug. 14. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:
Last week: 4,285
The week before that: 4,051
Four weeks ago: 3,741
Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:
Last week: 72,082
The week before that: 71,315
Four weeks ago: 70,906
Hospitals in 13 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 18 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 27 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.
The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Beaver County reported 249 additional COVID-19 cases this week
