By DANIEL PATRICK SHEEHAN, THE MORNING CALL 
MAY 04, 2020 | 12:50 PM

The state Department of Health on Monday reported 825 new coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania and 14 deaths, bringing the total numbers to 50,092 cases and 2,458 deaths.

It’s the lowest number of new cases reported since March 31.

The Lehigh Valley had 65 new cases — 39 in Lehigh County and 26 in Northampton County — but no new deaths. The Valley’s case total is 5,203, with 177 deaths, though state death totals have been lagging behind county reports.

Most of the patients hospitalized and most deaths in the state have been people 65 or older, and two-thirds of deaths have been in nursing homes.

There are 195,498 patients who have tested negative to date.

At Monday’s daily briefing, state health secretary Rachel Levine said 2,689 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, with 46% of beds, 40% of ICU beds and 75% of ventilators available.

Gov. Tom Wolf has rolled out a color-coded plan to gradually reopen portions of the state where per capita case counts are low, contact tracing and testing are possible and populations aren’t too dense. The reopening process began Friday with restrictions loosened in 24 counties, allowing them to reopen businesses that have been shut down because of the pandemic.

The Lehigh Valley is in the Northeast region, where the case count is more than three times higher than it needs to be to meet the reopening threshold.

Levin said the state will get data on Tuesdays and Thursdays, examine models and discuss contact tracing and testing before Gov. Tom Wolf makes decisions about relaxing restrictions.

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