COVID-19 positivity rates continue to fall in SE Pa.
NORRISTOWN » Coronavirus positivity rates continued to fall in Montgomery County and six neighboring counties, according to the latest week-to-week data compiled by state health officials.
Delaware County had a positivity rate of 1.3% on June 10, which was a decrease from 1.9% recorded for the period ending June 3, according to state data. Montgomery County recorded a coronavirus positivity rate of 1.1% for the period June 4 to June 10, which was a decrease from the 1.8% positivity rate recorded for the period May 28 to June 3, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard.
Health officials believe having a positivity rate less than 5% indicates a county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed. The latest data marks the fifth consecutive week that Montgomery County fell below the 5% benchmark.
The county recorded the first two cases of the virus on March 7, 2020, and this week marks the 67th week since the virus surfaced in the county.
All six of Montgomery County’s neighboring counties also recorded decreases in positivity rates, for the eighth consecutive week, during the latest reporting period and all are below the 5% benchmark, according to the state data.
Chester County recorded the lowest COVID-19 positivity rate during the most recent reporting period ending June 10, falling to 0.8% from 1.9% the previous week.
As of June 10, Berks and Lehigh counties had the highest positivity rates in the region, each recording 2.6% positivity rates.
Bucks County recorded a COVID-19 positivity rate of 1.1% on June 10, which was a decrease from the 1.5% rate recorded on June 3.
In Philadelphia, the COVID-19 positivity rate was 1.9% for the period June 4 to June 10, down from 2.5% the previous week.
The statewide positivity rate as of June 10 was 1.9% which was a decrease from the 2.8% positivity rate recorded the previous week.
Gov. Tom Wolf said the state’s COVID-19 dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors that affect the state’s mitigation efforts. The state’s weekly report is based on nasal swab tests, or the PCR, which are considered confirmed tests.
The decreases in the positivity rates come as vaccinations continue to increase.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported on Monday that 326,535 Montgomery County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Another 193,280 county residents have received a first dose of a vaccine, according to state data.
Meanwhile, there were 30 COVID-19 patients in the county’s nine hospitals on Monday, down from 41 a week ago. Officials said four of the current patients require ventilators.