PA Reports 4K+ New COVID Cases In Highest Single-Day Total Ever

HARRISBURG, PA — More than 4,000 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday in Pennsylvania — shattering single-day case levels from the first wave of the pandemic back in the spring.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 4,035 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 227,985. Also Saturday, there were 40 new deaths, bringing the statewide COVID-19 death toll to 9,015.

"This is the highest daily increase of cases," the state health department said in a news release. The record broken Saturday had been set just the day before, when 3,384 new cases were reported.

Philadelphia on Friday also reported its highest single-day increase with 742 new cases.

Officials have been warning the fall surge is well underway in Pennsylvania. The statewide percent-positivity rate is up and cases continue to trend upward. Additionally, the incidence rate of the virus is up, hospitalizations have increased, and more patients are on ventilators.

Cases are increasing nationwide. Across the country, there were 132,700 cases reported Friday. Deaths are also on the rise in more than two dozen states.

At least 16 states also reported single-day records for new cases on Friday, according to data recorded by The New York Times. Deaths are increasing in 27 states, and three — Kansas, South Dakota and Utah — reported record tolls.

In at least 24 states, more cases have been announced in the past week than in any other seven-day stretch since the pandemic began.

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