By CHRISTINE SCHIAVO THE MORNING CALL 

Pennsylvania reported 1,029 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 155,232.

On Friday, 806 new cases were reported.

Deaths

Overall: 22 new deaths, compared to two the day before. That brings the total to 8,103.

Hospitalizations

On Saturday morning, 444 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus, compared to 435 the day before. Of those, 60 were on ventilators.

Testing

There were 14,878 new tests, for a positive test rate of 6.6%, compared to 5.5% the day before. The overall positive test rate is now at 7.6%.

Lehigh Valley

Cases: 48 new cases ( 29 in Lehigh County, 19 in Northampton County), compared to31 the day before. That brings the total to 10,073.

Deaths: There were no new Lehigh Valley deaths on Saturday or Friday. To date, 658 people in the Lehigh Valley have died of COVID-19 ( 353 in Lehigh County and 305 in Northampton County).

Other Developments

Centre County, home to Penn State, had the highest number of new cases among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties on Saturday, with 162. Following it were Allegheny, which includes Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, which reported 106 and 65 new cases, respectively.

“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts,” Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said in a news release Saturday. “The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives.”

Senior journalist Eugene Tauber contributed to this report.

Get the latests coronavirus statistics from the state Department of Health

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