‘Fall surge has arrived in Montco’
More than 500 new cases reported in past week
NORRISTOWN » Reporting that more than 500 individuals tested positive for COVID-19 and one person died from the virus in Montgomery County during the latest seven-day period ending Oct. 27, officials declared that the fall surge of the virus has arrived in the area.
The 518 new positive cases, recorded between Oct. 21 and Oct. 27, brought the county’s total number of cases to 13,442 since March 7 when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county.
Eight of the new cases were individuals who resided in longterm care facilities, officials said.
The new positive individuals included 261 females and 255 males, who ranged in age from 1 to 100 and resided in 53 municipalities. The genders of two of the individuals were unavailable. All 62 county municipalities have reported positive cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
“The predicted COVID-19 fall surge has arrived in Montgomery County. We continue to see an increase in confirmed positive COVID-19 cases across all age groups,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said on Tuesday. “As the weather gets cooler and more events move indoors, we are likely to see increased transmission in our community.
“We must all continue to take common-sense steps to minimize the spread of this very contagious virus,” added Arkoosh, who as a physician has been at the forefront of the county’s efforts to combat the virus and provide citizens with the latest information regarding the outbreak. “Working together, we can suppress the spread of COVID-19 in Montgomery County.”
Arkoosh urged residents to wear a mask when near nonhousehold contacts, to avoid social gatherings, to fully cooperate if they receive a call from a contact tracer, and to download the COVID Alert PA app onto their phone.
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.
County officials also reported one more COVID-19 death over the seven-day period ending Tuesday, which brought the county’s death toll to 838 since the pandemic began in March.
Testing is still available for all county residents and those who work in the county and want or need to be tested. The county has established outdoor walkup testing sites in Pottstown, Norristown, Lansdale, Willow Grove, Ardmore and Green Lane to accommodate those who want to be tested.
The county-run sites provide self-administered tests at no cost, although insurance will be billed if you have it. The sites do require an appointment for testing.
To register for a test at any of the six sites, residents can visit www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 and click on the county testing information button. Residents can also register for a test at any of the six sites by calling 610-970-2937.
That phone number as well as the online registration will open at 8:30 a.m. daily.
In Pottstown, the testing site is located at the county’s Office of Public Health Pottstown Health Center at 364 King St. Testing is available by appointment Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In Norristown, a testing site is located on the parking lot of the Delaware Valley Community Health Norristown Regional Health Center at 1401 DeKalb St. Testing is available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
In Lansdale, a testing site is located at 421 Main St. and is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.
Another testing site is located at Deep Creek and Snyder roads in the Green Lane Park area, where tests are available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.
In Ardmore, a testing site is located at 114 W. Lancaster Avenue where testing is available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 p.m.
In Willow Grove, a testing site is at First Baptist Church - Crestmont, 1678 Fairview Ave. Testing there is be available Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.