Pennsylvania saw a spike of nearly 1,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, and another 11 people have died, according to state officials.
From midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday, 962 new covid-19 cases were reported statewide, bringing the total to 5,805, according to the Department of Health.
Deaths now total 74, including the first death reported in Fayette County and a second death in Beaver County. The counties are up to 14 and 54 cases, respectively.
Allegheny County added 31 cases Wednesday to increase to 356 total cases. Cases in Westmoreland County went from 61 to 72, according to state data.
The increases came just hours before Gov. Tom Wolf expanded his stay-at-home order to the entire state. It previously applied to 33 counties.
“This virus is spreading rapidly,” he said. “It’s in every corner of our state. It’s gotten into our nursing homes and prisons.”
About 200 of the state’s cases are in nursing home residents across 92 nursing homes, according to Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.
That includes more than three dozen cases at Beaver County’s Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. The first resident tested positive last week, two residents have died. Another 34 are infected.
There are about 286 health care workers infected with the virus across the state, Levine said.
Pediatric cases have risen, according to the numbers released by the state. Cases of children under 5 make up nearly 1% of all cases, and nearly 1% are kids aged 5 to 12. One percent are 13 to 18 years old.
Those in the 25 to 49 age group still make up most of the state’s cases – about 40%.
About 620 people have been hospitalized for some amount of time since the state saw its first case March 6. Most of those hospitalized have been over the age of 64, according to Levine.
“We are watching the rate of new cases really, really, carefully,” Levine said, noting that it is “too soon to draw conclusions” as to whether social distancing is working.
