State police advise shoppers thieves are stealing personal items from shopping carts….One Eldred man arrested for harassment…another for drug possession….Game Commission says “leave young wildlife alone….” State positivity rate continues to drop…
Tuesday’s high 79; overnight low 52
WED-MIX OF CLOUDS & SUN, AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS HIGH 82
WED NIGHT-OVERCAST, CALM LOW 52
THU-MOSTLY SUNNY, HIGH 75
THU NIGHT-PARTLY CLOUDY LOW 50
FRI-AFTERNOON RAIN, COOL HIGH 52
FRI NIGHT-RAIN, HIGH 45
…
McKean County
State police at Lewis Run arrested 49 year old William Strait of Eldred for harassment in connection to a domestic violence incident reportedly occurring just before 7:00 am May 20 in Port Allegany. Troopers claim when they were called to a Katherine Street home they found Strait had harassed 25 year old Samantha Harp of Port Allegany.
Drug possession charges are pending against 21 year old Nicholas White of Eldred. State police allege when they pulled over a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado driven by White on Minard Run Road in Bradford Township they found him in possession of controlled substances and drug paraphernalia.
Statewide
State police say as the commonwealth recovers from the COVID pandemic, businesses are returning to normal operations. Police remind shoppers to never leave their personal belongings unattended while shopping. Police have recently investigated several incidents at local retail outlets where individuals have stolen, or attempted to steal purses, wallets, cellphones and other personal items for unattended shopping carts. It is recommend that any valuable personal items be kept on your person at all times when shopping, or when your attention is diverted from keeping these articles safe.
With a long holiday weekend ahead and warmer temperatures, the state Game Commission says whether in their backyards or high on a mountain, it’s almost certain Pennsylvanians will encounter young wildlife this time of year.
While some young animals might appear to be abandoned, usually they are not. It’s likely their mothers are watching over them from somewhere nearby.
So when encountering young wildlife, be it deer, birds, raccoons or other animals, the best thing you can do is leave them alone.
Adult animals often leave their young while they forage for food, but they don’t go far and they do return. Wildlife also often relies on a natural defensive tactic called the “hider strategy,” where young animals will remain motionless and “hide” in surrounding cover while adults draw the attention of potential predators or other intruders away from their young.
Deer employ this strategy, and deer fawns sometimes are assumed to be abandoned when, in fact, their mothers are nearby.
The Game Commission urges Pennsylvanians to resist the urge to interfere with young wildlife or remove any wild animal from its natural setting.
Such contact can be harmful to both people and wildlife. Wild animals can lose their natural fear of humans, making it difficult, even impossible, for them to ever again live normally in the wild. And anytime wildlife is handled, there’s always a risk people could contract diseases or parasites such as fleas, ticks and lice.
Wildlife that becomes habituated to humans also can pose a public-safety risk. Some years ago, a yearling, six-point buck attacked and severely injured two people. The investigation into the incident revealed that a neighboring family had illegally taken the deer into their home and fed it as a fawn, and they continued to feed the deer right up until the time of the attack.
It is illegal to take or possess wildlife from the wild. Under state law, the penalty for such a violation is a fine of up to $1,500 per animal.
Under no circumstances will anyone who illegally takes wildlife into captivity be allowed to keep that animal, and under a working agreement with state health officials, any “high risk” rabies vector species confiscated after human contact must be euthanized and tested; it cannot be returned to the wild because the risk of spreading disease is too high.
Animals infected with rabies might not show obvious symptoms, but still might be able to transmit the disease. Though any mammal might carry rabies, the rabies vector species identified in the agreement are: skunks, raccoons, foxes, bats, coyotes and groundhogs.
People can get rabies from the saliva of a rabid animal if they are bitten or scratched, or if the saliva gets into the person’s eyes, mouth or a fresh wound.
Only wildlife rehabilitators, who are licensed by the Game Commission, are permitted to care for injured or orphaned wildlife for the purposes of eventual release back into the wild. For those who find wildlife that truly is in need of assistance, a listing of licensed wildlife rehabilitators can be found on the Pennsylvania Association of Wildlife Rehabilitators website, www.pawr.com.
If you are unable to identify a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, contact the Game Commission region office that serves the county in which the animal is found so that you can be referred to the appropriate licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Region office contact information can be found under the title “Connect with Us” at the bottom of the www.pgc.pa.gov homepage.
Speaking of diseases, the Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 25 there were 906 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,197,468.
CAMERON-205
ELK- 1575
MCKEAN-2856
POTTER-1027
TIOGA -2519
CATTARAUGUS-5672
ALLEGANY-3511
There are 1,230 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 295 patients are in the intensive care unit with COVID-19.
The trend in the 14-day moving average number of hospitalized patients per day is coming down, after peaking at 2,661 patients Christmas Day, which is slightly below what it was at the height of the spring 2020 peak of 2,751 patients on May 3, 2020. The full 14-day moving average since the start of the pandemic can be found here.
Statewide percent positivity for the week of May 14 – May 20 stood at 4.5%.
The most accurate daily data is available on the website, with archived data also available.
As of 11:59 p.m. Monday, May 24, there were 42 new death identified by the Pennsylvania death registry, reported for a total of 27,085 deaths attributed to COVID-19. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.
According to the CDC, as of Tuesday morning, May 25, Pennsylvania has administered first doses of vaccine to 56.9% of its entire population, and the state ranks 9th among all 50 states for first doses administered by percentage of population.
According to the CDC, as of Tuesday morning, May 25, 52.1% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.
According to the CDC, as of Tuesday morning, May 25, Pennsylvania ranks 5th among all 50 states for total doses administered.
Vaccine providers have administered 10,261,761 total vaccine doses as of Tuesday, May 25.
4,518,470 people are fully vaccinated; with a seven-day moving average of more than 62,900 people per day receiving vaccinations.
1,600,154 people are partially vaccinated, meaning they have received one dose of a two-dose vaccine.
6,118,624 people have received at least their first dose.
This week, a total of 10,749,200 doses will have been allocated through May 29:
297,520 first/single doses will have been allocated this week.
297,520 second doses will have been allocated this week.
To date, 10,261,761 doses total through May 25:
First/single doses: 6,118,624 administered
Second doses: 4,143,137 administered
Fully vaccinated people may choose not to wear a mask indoors or outdoors unless the business or organization requires it, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
There are 4,570,073 individuals who have tested negative to date.
In licensed nursing and personal care homes, there are 71,629 resident cases of COVID-19, and 15,330 cases among employees, for a total of 86,959 at 1,590 distinct facilities in all 67 counties. Approximately 28,623 of the total cases are among health care workers.
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.
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.