Pennsylvania Reports 1,088 New Coronavirus Cases Thursday

A certified medical assistant prepares doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The US took a major step in the pandemic this week by clearing the Pfizer vaccine for youth ages 12-15. (Image via AP Photo/John Locher, File)

By Patrick Abdalla

July 29, 2021

Gov. Tom Wolf has said he won’t reinstitute the state’s masking requirements.

Pennsylvania reported 1,088 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, just as Gov. Tom Wolf has said he will not reinstate masking orders.

On Tuesday, Wolf said he would not go back to the requirement, telling KDKA in Pittsburgh, “People have the ability, each individual, to make the decision to get a vaccine. If they do, that’s the protection.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has returned to recommending even vaccinated people wear masks indoors.

With the new positive cases, the totals reported for Tuesday climbed to 1,024, the first time in more than 60 days that the state saw more than 1,000 cases in a single day.

The state has had more reported cases in the last three days, 2,686, than it did from July 1-13, when it reported 2,593 cases.

According to state health officials, 462 people are hospitalized with coronavirus-related symptoms, 87 of which are in intensive care units. Fifty of those patients are on ventilators.

Four new deaths were reported Thursday.

Since the pandemic arrived in Pennsylvania, 27,842 deaths have been connected with the virus. That’s slightly more than the population of the city of Easton.

As of Thursday’s report from the CDC, 77.9% of Pennsylvanians have been partially vaccinated. That’s tied for tenth among the states.