Official: ‘Still very real risk of virus’
EAGLEVILLE » Montgomery County officials reported a dozen more deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday and reminded residents that there’s “still very real risk of virus transmission” in the community.
Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh on Wednesday reported a slight increase in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 to the low 260s, “which is an increase from two days ago when we were down to 250.” About 24 percent of those hospitalized do require ventilators, Arkoosh added.
Overall, Between April 16 and May 15, a communitybased drive-thru testing site at the central campus of the Montgomery County Community College in Whitpain tested 5,855 individuals. As of Wednesday, officials had received results for 5,707 individuals and 793 of the individuals tested positive, representing a 14 percent positivity rate over the 25day period. That’s a reduction from the highest positive rate of 24 percent that was recorded during the first week of April.
Arkoosh pointed out that for individuals tested on May 7, 8, 11 and 12 the positivity rates were below 10 percent.
However, for individuals who were tested most recently on May 13, 14 and 15, the positivity rates jumped to between 15- and 19-percent.
“As I also noted we have seen a slight uptick in our hospital admissions. These two data points serve as a reminder that we remain in a situation where there is still very real risk of virus transmission in our community,” Arkoosh addressed county residents during a daily news briefing with all officials communicating from their homes or by phone.
“Please continue to stay home as much as possible and when you are out in public follow the social distancing guidelines. Wear a mask to protect others. Cover your cough or your sneeze. Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer as frequently as possible,” added Arkoosh, who was joined at the daily briefing by fellow commissioners Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. and Joseph C. Gale.
The latest 12 deaths from COVID-19 bring the county’s death toll to 548 since March 7, when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county. The latest reported deaths included individuals who ranged in age from 66 to 95.
To date, 298 females and 250 males have died from the virus in the county. Arkoosh added 479 of the total 548 COVID-19 deaths were individuals who resided in long-term care facilities, comprising about 87 percent of the total deaths.
The 548 total deaths were “confirmed positive” COVID-19 cases through the use of lab tests.
Arkoosh added 179 other deaths in the county have been listed as “probable” COVID-19 deaths. Those are deaths that list COVID-19 as a cause of death on a death certificate but in which there was no laboratory confirmation of the virus.
Additionally, officials reported a total of 111 new positive cases of the virus on Wednesday, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 6,126 since March 7. Seventeen of the latest individuals to test positive resided in long-term care facilities in the county while the majority of cases, 94, were other residents in the community.
The new positive cases included 55 males and 56 females who ranged in age from 4-months to 99. The individuals were residents of 32 municipalities and to date, all 62 of the county’s municipalities are home to individuals with COVID-19.
Officials continue to monitor coronavirus data from the 75 long-term care facilities in the county that are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as well as from “other congregate care settings” in the county, for a total of about 620 facilities.
As of Wednesday, 94 of the facilities reported positive COVID-19 cases among residents and staff. Specifically, officials reported there are 1,734 cases among residents of the facilities and 628 cases among staff at the facilities, for a total of 2,362 positive individuals.