COVID-19 positivity rate on the rise
6 of 7 SE Pennsylvania counties show increase in number of cases
HARRISBURG >> Six of the seven counties in Southeast Pennsylvania, including Montgomery County, recorded increases in coronavirus positivity rates and none met the threshold for suppressing the virus, according to the latest weekto-week data compiled by state health officials.
Montgomery County recorded a coronavirus positivity rate of 5.7% for the period March
12 to March 18, which was an increase from the 4.8% positivity rate recorded for the period
March 5 to March 11, 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 county recorded the first two cases of the virus on March 7, 2020, and this week marks the 55th week since the virus surfaced in the county.
Delaware County, with a positivity rate of 5.2%, is the only county in the region to record
“The number of new cases has slightly increased, and so has the statewide percent positivity, which is still concerning.” — Gov. Tom Wolf
a slight decrease in the COVID-19 positivity rate between March 12 and March 18, which is still above the threshold considered suppression of the virus. During the previous week, Delaware County reported a positivity rate of 5.4%.
Montgomery County’s other neighboring counties recorded the following percent-positivity rates during the seven-day period ending March18: Berks (10.0%); Lehigh (8.8%); Bucks (7.5%); Chester (5.6%); and Philadelphia (6.1%), according to the latest state data.
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 statewide positivity rate as of March 18 was 6.5% which was an increase from the 5.7% positivity rate recorded the previous week, according to the state’s weekly data.
As of March 18, the state recorded a seven-day increase of 14,182 coronavirus cases. The previous sevenday increase was 12,802 cases, indicating 1,380 additional new cases across the state over the past week compared to the previous week.
“The number of new cases has slightly increased, and so has the statewide percent positivity, which is still concerning,” Wolf said on Monday. “As more and more Pennsylvanians are getting vaccinated, we must not forget to follow the mitigation measures still in place.
“As the weather gets warm, please remember to wear a mask, practice social distance and wash your hands frequently as the virus still has a presence in our communities,” Wolf added.
As of March 19, there were 25 counties in the substantial level of community transmission, the highest level of transmission, including Berks, Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
State health officials reported on Monday that currently there are 21 counties that have a positivity rate lower than 5% and there are no counties reporting more than a 20% positivity rate.
“Throughout our COVID-19 response, we have added tools for residents such as our COVID Alert PA app, and dashboards and educational materials online,” Wolf said. “As Pennsylvania continues to receive greater supplies, we encourage you to educate yourself on the vaccine, which is the best tool to prevent serious illness or death from COVID-19 and to protect you, your loved ones, and your community.”
State and local officials urged citizens to continue to abide by COVID-19 mitigation measures, downloading the COVID Alert PA app, and getting vaccinated when it’s their turn.
COVID Alert PA is a free mobile app, offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, that uses Bluetooth low energy technology and the Exposure Notification System, created jointly by Google and Apple, to notify and give public health guidance to anyone who may have been in close contact with a person who also has the app and has tested positive for COVID-19.