Pa. marks eight consecutive days with new COVID-19 in four digits
Pennsylvania experienced its eighth consecutive day Tuesday with new COVID-19 cases in four digits, with 14 new cases reported in Fayette County.
The state Health Department said there were 1,342 new cases, taking the statewide total to 174,646 since March.
State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and others are expected to hold a briefing at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday to discuss the surge in cases and the steps being taken to protect the public from the virus.
“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts,” Levine said.
As of Monday, there were about 800 virus cases at Bloomsburg, Indiana and Kutztown state universities combined, the faculty union said Tuesday. California University of Pennsylvania did not call its students back to campus this fall, switching to a remote learning model. Waynesburg University in Greene County had a small cluster of cases in students.
The virus has killed 8,384 Pennsylvanians after 16 new deaths were reported Tuesday, none of which occurred in Washington, Greene, Fayette or Allegheny counties.
Westmoreland County recorded 89 new cases in a county where the virus numbers have been surging in recent weeks.
Washington County saw 18 new cases Tuesday, taking its total to 1,556. Greene County added one new case to its total that inched to 204.