COVID Hospitalizations In PA Hit 4-Month Low

PENNSYLVANIA — Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have dropped to their lowest rate in Pennsylvania since the beginning of the fall surge of the virus.

According to Tuesday data, the 14-day average for coronavirus hospitalizations across the state was 1,694, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That's a little more than half of the 3,253 patients reported a month earlier and the lowest two-week average reported since Nov. 12, when it stood at 1,624.

In Pennsylvania, COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths had dropped to their lowest point since the pandemic began over the summer. But, then, a fall surge sent all of those numbers upward again — a trend that experts say skyrocketed further, in part, due to holiday travel around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's.

The decline in hospitalizations in Pennsylvania follows a similar drop in coronavirus case numbers. On Monday, 2,860 new cases were reported statewide. A similar number, 2,820 was reported on Friday.

While daily numbers can vary based on when the state receives reports, those numbers also are in line with numbers from early November and are down dramatically from the surge's peak in December, when the state routinely reported more than 10,000 new cases per day.

Pennsylvania health officials this week acknowledged the progress, but urged residents to continue being safe to further drive down virus numbers.

"Thank you to all our fellow Pennsylvanians who practice safe and healthy practices and answer the call when public health professionals call to perform a case investigation or contact tracing – these practices truly help us unite and fight COVID-19 across the state," said Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam. "We are moving in the right direction thanks to the commitment of our fellow Pennsylvanians."

The number of the most-serious coronavirus hospitalizations also is dropping. On Tuesday, there were 195 people in Pennsylvania reported to be on ventilators due to COVID-19.

That number had peaked at 740 in late December and is the state's lowest since Nov. 16, when 190 coronavirus patients were on ventilators.

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The declining COVID numbers come as more Pennsylvanians are receiving their vaccinations.

As of Wednesday morning, the state had administered more than 3 million doses of the coronavirus vaccines, according to the Department of Health. A total of 2,066,330 people had received a single dose of the vaccine and 981,209 had gotten both doses of the two-shot vaccines.