On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health provided a COVID-19 update as of Monday, Jan. 3.
“Pennsylvania, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a steep increase in the number of COVID-19 cases,” Acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter said.
“This should not cause panic, but it should be a call to immediate action. There are clear steps that every Pennsylvanian should be taking to help protect themselves and their loved ones”:
Get vaccinated to help prevent serious illness and hospitalization, Get a booster dose because it is proven to substantially increase your level of protection, Wear a mask in public indoor spaces regardless of your vaccination status, Get tested if you are exposed or develop symptoms and then follow the latest isolation and quarantine guidance.
“The Wolf administration continues working to increase testing opportunities and ensure that vaccine is readily available to everyone five and older,” she added. “Meanwhile, wash your hands frequently, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces and maintain physical distance to help reduce spreading the virus over the winter months.”
Pennsylvania continues to make critical strides in getting eligible residents vaccinated working closely with vaccine providers, grassroots organizations, and relevant stakeholders to ensure all Pennsylvanians have access to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the CDC, as of Thursday, Dec. 30, 74.1% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated. This percentage reflects all 67 counties in Pennsylvania.
If you or your loved ones are not yet vaccinated, now is the time to get fully vaccinated, get boosted, and get children ages 5 – 18 vaccinated. Visit vaccines.gov to find a vaccine provider near you to schedule your vaccine appointment.
Weekly Update
This week, the Department of Health analyzed the following vaccine data within its 66 county vaccine jurisdiction; Philadelphia is a separate vaccine jurisdiction: 269,488 vaccine doses were administered in the past week, including: 131,793 booster doses administered in the past week. 12,270 pediatric doses administered in the past week. 3.8% decrease in vaccines administered from previous week, largely attributed to the New Year holiday.
Here is a statewide summary of COVID-19 trends over the past 7 days Monday, Dec. 27 – Sunday, Jan. 2: The daily average number of cases was 18,344. The number of people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, Jan. 3 was 22.6 percent higher than on Dec. 27. The percent of available adult and pediatric ICU beds in the state fell to 16% and 11%, respectively. Approximately 28% of all staffed adult ICU beds are COVID-19 patients. 32% of all ventilators statewide are in use.
Berks County COVID-19 Testing
Testing is available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. on Saturdays from now through Jan. 8. The testing location is the parking lot of Direct Link Technologies, 2561 Bernville Road, Reading, PA, 19605. Note, enter the parking lot from Van Reed Road.
