Mar 26, 2021 2 min read

The number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 1 million in Pennsylvania after 3,623 new cases were announced Thursday by the state Health Department.

The milestone was reached the same day Gov. Tom Wolf said the number of COVID-19 vaccines flowing into the state continues to grow, and President Joe Biden announced a new goal of administering 200 million doses by the end of his first 100 days in office, twice his original goal.

“We’re doing a great job,” Wolf said during an appearance broadcast from Reading.

Acting state Health Secretary Alison Beam ordered certain vaccine providers Thursday to partner with Area Agencies on Aging to help seniors get appointments for the drugs under the current eligibility rules.

Beam’s order requires the same from Medical Assistance Managed Care Organizations, and she said providers who claim to have no available appointments could face enforcement actions.

Wolf said the state continues to hear from seniors and others with certain health problems about experiencing difficulty scheduling vaccine appointments.

“While it may seem like a daunting task, it is possible with the hard work and commitment of our trusted providers and the help of the state’s 52 Area Agencies on Aging that have already been doing a tremendous job partnering with providers,” Beam said.

The state appears to be heading into a spring surge as the average of hospitalizations due to the virus is on the rise again. There were 1,652 hospitalizations attributed to the virus Thursday, with 351 patients on ventilators.

The virus has killed 24,917 Pennsylvanians in the past year after 41 new deaths were announced Thursday, including one in Fayette County. There were no new deaths reported in Washington, Greene or Allegheny counties.

Washington County reported 37 new cases, taking its cumulative total to 14,687.

Greene added five new cases to its total of 2,796. Fayette’s case-count grew by 14 to 11,031.