PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The CDC is reporting that 69.4% of people ages 18-and-above are fully vaccinated in Pennsylvania.
The milestone comes as the average number of people hospitalized in the state also continues to rise.
Pennsylvania ranks 5th nationwide for total doses administered. The state reports the majority of people hospitalized are unvaccinated as the hospitalization trend in the 14-day moving average continues to increase. As of Friday, there were 2,930 people hospitalized with COVID-19 with 680 in the ICU.
See more hospitalization data here.
Has Pennsylvania reached herd immunity?
Both the CDC and the World Health Organization won't definite what 'herd immunity' is for COVID-19.
WHO states, "The proportion of the population that must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to begin inducing herd immunity is not known. This is an important area of research and will likely vary according to the community, the vaccine, the populations prioritized for vaccination, and other factors."
The CDC states, "We are still learning how many people need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before the population can be considered protected."
"Herd immunity" is defined by the WHO as "the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection."
WHO states that herd immunity against COVID-19 should be achieved through vaccination rather than exposing people to the coronavirus. It said "vaccines train our immune systems to create proteins that fight disease, known as ‘antibodies’, just as would happen when we are exposed to a disease but – crucially – vaccines work without making us sick. Vaccinated people are protected from getting the disease in question and passing on the pathogen, breaking any chains of transmission."
More details from the Pa. Dept. of Health Report:
- As of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, there were 93 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry, reported for a total of 29,907 deaths attributed to COVID-19. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
- The number of COVID-19 cases among school-aged children (between 5-18 years old) is more than 9 times greater this year than in 2020. In fact, between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5, 2020, there were a total of 778 COVID-19 cases in school-aged kids compared to 7,046 cases in the same age group during the same week in 2021.
Vaccine highlights
Federal data representing all 67 counties:
- According to the CDC, as of Thursday, Oct. 7, Pennsylvania ranks 5th among all 50 states for total doses administered.
- According to the CDC, as of Thursday, Oct. 7, 69.4% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
Statewide data representing the 66 counties within the Department of Health’s vaccine jurisdiction:
- Pennsylvania’s vaccine dashboard was updated on Friday, July 9 to more accurately reflect the number of people who are partially and fully vaccinated in each county outside of Philadelphia, along with demographics of those receiving vaccine. For state-to-state comparisons, refer to the CDC vaccine data tracker.
- Vaccine providers have administered 13,045,836 total vaccine doses, including 235,087 additional doses (which includes additional shots for immunocompromised individuals and booster shots), as of Friday, Oct. 8.
- 6,264,513 people are fully vaccinated; with 45,318 vaccinations administered since yesterday and a seven-day moving average of more than 26,000 people per day receiving vaccinations.
The department continues to urge Pennsylvanians to follow CDC guidance for wearing a mask where required by law, rule and regulations, including healthcare, local business and workplace guidance. For the protection of themselves and others, individuals who have not yet been vaccinated or are partially vaccinated are still encouraged to wear a mask when in public. CDC also recommends all individuals wear a mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
There are 231,577 individuals who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases.
There are 5,539,301 individuals who have tested negative to date.
In licensed nursing and personal care homes, there have been a total of 77,244 resident cases of COVID-19 to date, and 16,517 cases among employees, for a total of 93,761 at 1,634 distinct facilities in all 67 counties. Out of total deaths reported to PA-NEDSS, 14,176 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here. Note that the number of deaths reported to NEDSS is not exactly the same as the COVID-19 related deaths reported by the death registry. The number of deaths among nursing and personal care home residents and employees is taken from the PA-NEDSS death data, as this information is not available in the death registry data.
Approximately 31,403 of total cases have been among health care workers.
The Department of Health is working to ensure the vaccine is provided in a way that is ethical, equitable and efficient to all Pennsylvanians:
- All Pennsylvanians age 12 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. Use Vaccine Finder to find a COVID-19 vaccine provider near you.
- Non-profit organizations, childcare and educational institutions can now apply for the COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Grant Program which supports grassroots outreach efforts including local media buys, creation of outreach and training materials, sponsorship of vaccine-related community events, equipment rental to assist with setting vaccine appointments, and more.
- A commonwealth COVID-19 vaccination guide explains the current process for getting one. Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health hotline at 1-877-724-3258.
- Vaccine dashboard data can also be found on the website to find more information on the doses administered and showcase demographic information.
- The Unite Against COVID Weekly Update is a round-up of news you can use and answers to your most pressing vaccine questions – delivered directly to your inbox every week.
- Frequently asked questions can be found here.