PA's COVID-19 Positivity Rate Shoots Up As Delta Variant Spreads

PENNSYLVANIA — For the first time in weeks, Pennsylvania is seeing statewide increases in coronavirus cases. The percent positivity rate on tests has increased by more than 1 percentage point, up to 2.8 percent, after falling as low as 1.7 percent last week, according to state data.

The rise comes amid the increasing prevalence of the more-contagious delta variant, which is responsible for an estimated 43 percent of all new cases in Pennsylvania, CDC statistics show.

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The total number of new cases has also dramatically increased. The state saw 2,393 new cases over the most recently tracked seven-day period, an increase of more than 800 from last week's 1,542 new cases.

Increased cases have led some jurisdictions to consider restoring mitigation measures. In Philadelphia, officials have strongly recommended universal mask usage while in public indoor spaces.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued new guidance recommending vaccinated Americans resume mask-wearing indoors in certain circumstances. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the change comes after seeing new scientific data from recent outbreak investigations that shows that the delta variant is much more contagious and transmissible than previous strains of the virus.

The vaccines do provide protection against the delta variant, but "breakthrough" cases can still occur. Nonetheless, both state and federal authorities continue to note that the current nationwide surge is a "pandemic of the unvaccinated."

With the higher case numbers has also come a slowly rising hospitalization rate, as the past week has seen the average statewide hospitalization rate go up from 251 to 289. Another health care metric is similarly elevated: The percentage of emergency room visits due to coronavirus symptoms rose from 0.6 to 0.7.

The total number of persons with very serious illness does not appear to be increasing, however. The average daily number of patients on ventilators actually decreased last week, from 34 to 31.

State data shows that 62.5 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.