Centre County Adds 81 COVID-19 Cases; Coroner’s Office Reports 11 New Deaths

Centre County reported 81 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday to bring its total to 8,450, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Pennsylvania added 9,605 cases, bringing the statewide total to 581,156.

The county also had 53 additional negative test results, increasing its total to 51,444. Across Pennsylvania there were 12,384 new negatives for a total of 3,181,266.

Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers confirmed 11 COVID-19-related deaths that occurred between Dec. 8 and Dec. 19. Eight were from a long-term care facility in the 16823 zip code, including seven women and one man between the ages of 75 and 94. Two men and one woman whose deaths were attributed to the virus died in the hospital.

Sayers has now confirmed 100 COVID-19 deaths in Centre County, ranging in age from 55 to 104. The health department now lists 127 COVID-19 deaths among Centre County residents, an increase of two since Tuesday. 

DOH reported 230 new COVID-19 deaths statewide on Wednesday, increasing Pennsylvania’s total to 14,442.

Mount Nittany Medical Center is currently treating 54 COVID-19 inpatients, two more than on Tuesday. The patients are between the ages of 38 and 97, according to a hospital spokesperson. 

So far in December, the medical center has admitted 173 COVID-positive inpatients, with an average of 46 COVID inpatients per day. With a week still left in the month, that’s already more than it had for all of November, when there were 143 COVID admissions and an average of 22 COVID inpatients per day. The hospital had 58 COVID patients in October and 16 in September.

With hospitalizations remaining high, Mount Nittany implemented new surge-planning measures including rescheduling about half of elective surgeries that require overnight stays, as well as some other procedures, through Jan. 11. Other services may be adjusted depending on future trends.

Mount Nittany also received and administered its first shipment of 975 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for frontline hospital workers.

‘We are incredibly hopeful, but it’s essential that we remember this isn’t over yet,’ Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nirmal Joshi said in a statement. ‘It’s going to be a while before everyone can be vaccinated, so please remain vigilant by consistently following COVID safety measures, including wearing a mask, frequent hand washing and maintaining social distance. These measures are especially important during the holidays as we continue to see a rise in COVID cases and subsequent hospitalizations.’

Statewide, 6,142 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, including 1,263 in ICU and 764 on ventilators, as of Wednesday morning.

An estimated 62% of COVID-19 patients in the state have recovered, according to a DOH calculation.