Masks Now Recommended In 14 PA Counties As COVID Spikes

PENNSYLVANIA — Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have risen in Pennsylvania, and the CDC now recommends that residents in 14 different Pennsylvania counties mask up when in public, indoor spaces.

Masking is recommended when counties reach the "high" level of COVID-19 in their community. As recently as a week ago, that level applied to just four Pennsylvania counties. It now applies to Mercer, Forest, Clearfield, Sullivan, Montour, Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, Fulton, Franklin, Fayette, Green, and Washington.

Community levels are based on hospitalizations and case rates and are updated by the CDC each Thursday.

A total of 32 counties are in the "medium" level.

The CDC's mask recommendations do not trigger any mandates in Pennsylvania. People may also choose to continue masking in any setting.

State of COVID In PA

The state tallied 1,640 hospital patients with confirmed or suspected COVID as of Thursday, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. That's the state's highest-reported mark since late February, when last winter's omicron wave diminished.

For comparison, here were Pennsylvania's COVID hospitalization totals during different points of the pandemic:

• May 10, 2020: 3,687
• Oct. 1., 2020: 1,000
• Dec. 16, 2020: 7,115
• April 26, 2021: 3,156
• July 12, 2021: 466
• jan 20, 2022: 7,146
• April 10: 620
• June 30: 1,283
• July 21: 1,454

The state's positivity rate stands at 17.4 percent as of Friday, which is up about 1.5 percent over last week. It's a number that's been slowly climbing for a few weeks.

True case totals became more difficult to calculate in recent months because of the prevalence of at-home tests that don't typically get recorded in COVID statistics. But reported cases in Pennsylvania have headed gradually but steadily upwards in recent weeks.

The death rate has remained steady and comparatively low to earlier in the pandemic, with a 7-day daily average rate of 0.9 deaths.

For more coronavirus numbers, see the CDC's data tracker.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Josh Bakan