Beaver County reported 286 additional COVID-19 cases this past week

New coronavirus cases leaped in Pennsylvania in the week ending Sunday, rising 68% as 19,947 cases were reported. The previous week had 11,872 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Pennsylvania ranked 44th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 29% from the week before, with 947,862 cases reported. With 3.85% of the country’s population, Pennsylvania had 2.1% of the country’s cases in the last week. Across the country, 42 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

​ Johns Hopkins University has been getting data on an erratic schedule from Pennsylvania, skewing week-to-week comparisons. ​

The Fourth of July holiday disrupted who got tested, when people got tested and when both test results and deaths were reported. This may significantly skew week-to-week comparisons.

Beaver County reported 286 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 124 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 43,136 cases and 762 deaths.

Allegheny County reported 2,431 cases and 11 deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 1,272 cases and five deaths. Throughout the pandemic, it has reported 294,798 cases and 3,427 deaths.​

Within Pennsylvania, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Washington County with 243 cases per 100,000 per week; Fayette County with 220; and Juniata County with 214. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Philadelphia County, with 2,657 cases; Allegheny County, with 2,431 cases; and Montgomery County, with 1,375. Weekly case counts rose in 66 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Allegheny, Philadelphia and Montgomery counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases​

In Pennsylvania, ​ 128 ​ people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 55 people were reported dead.

A total of 3,038,076 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 45,949 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 89,542,107 people have tested positive and 1,023,799 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, July 17. Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

• Last week: 3,837
• The week before that: 3,490
• Four weeks ago: 3,715

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

• Last week: 73,328
• The week before that: 67,692
• Four weeks ago: 57,602

Hospitals in 36 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 27 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 40 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.