Montco has lowest positivity rate in SE Pa.

Chester, Berks and Delaware counties also see decreases

HARRISBURG » Montgomery County has the lowest coronavirus positivity rate among southeast Pennsylvania counties, according to the latest data from the stateDepartment ofHealth.

For the period Sept. 18 to Aug. Sept. 24 the percentpositivity rate forMontgomery County was 2.3 percent, according to the state’s COVID19 EarlyWarningMonitoring System Dashboard. That was a decrease from the 2.6 percent- positivity rate the county recorded for the previous seven- day period Sept. 11 to Sept. 17.

Health officials believe having a positivity rate less than 5 percent indicates a county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed.

According to state data, for the most recent sevenday period ending Sept. 24, all southeast Pennsylvania counties are now below the 5 percent threshold.

Montgomery County’s neighbors recorded the following percent- positivity rates during the latest seven- day period: Berks ( 3.8%); Chester ( 3.6%); Bucks ( 3.4%); Philadelphia ( 2.8%); Delaware ( 2.7%); and Lehigh ( 2.6%).

Chester, Berks and Delaware counties each saw their percent- positivity rates decrease for the period ending Sept. 24. Berks and Chester previously had been placed on a watch list by Gov. Tom Wolf when between Sept. 11 and Sept. 17 those counties recorded 6.2 and 5.5 percent- positivity rates, respectively, which were above the 5 percent threshold set by the Wolf administration.

The percent- positivity rates in Lehigh and Bucks were unchanged fromweek to week, according to the state data.

Counties with concerning

“Together, Pennsylvanians can be united to work to prevent the spread of the virus.” — Gov. TomWolf

percent- positivity above 5 percent include: Centre ( 12.0%); Northumberland ( 8.3%); Juniata ( 6.8%); Indiana ( 5.9%); Lebanon ( 5.7%); Snyder ( 5.2%); and York ( 5.2%). Each of these counties bears watching as the state continues to monitor all available data, Wolf said.

Wolf said the state’s COVID19 dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The data available on the dashboard includes week- over- week case differences, incidence rates, test percent- positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID- 19.

As of Sept. 24, the statewide percent- positivity rate decreased to 3.2 percent from 3.7 percent the previous week, according to the dashboard.

“Our percent positivity and incidence rate for the commonwealth both decreased this week, a testament to all the work Pennsylvanians are doing to unite against this virus,” Wolf said Monday. “We must continue our focus on taking actions to protect ourselves and others, such as wearing amask, practicing social distancing, washing our hands and avoiding large gatherings. Together, Pennsylvanians can be united to work to prevent the spread of the virus.”

As of Sept. 24, the state recorded a seven- day case increase of 5,070. The previous seven- day increase was 5,551, indicating a 481- case decrease across the state over the past week.

OnMonday, Montgomery County officials reported 123 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus during the period Sept. 26 to Sept. 28, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 11,959 since March 7, when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county.

One new COVID- 19 death was reported in the county during the threeday period, bringing the county’s COVID- 19 death toll to 832.

To keep the positivity rate below 5 percent, county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh has stressed residents should continue to abide by all mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing recommendations.

MEDIANEWS GROUP FILE PHOTO Gov. Tom Wolf says the state’s coronavirus percent positivity rate decreased this week, a sign that Pennsylvanians are uniting against the virus.