COVID-19 positivity rate decreasing in the region
HARRISBURG >> Chester County is the second county in Southeast Pennsylvania to record a coronavirus positivity rate that indicates suppression of the virus and other neighboring counties are inching closer to that threshold, according to the latest week-to-week data compiled by state health officials.
For the seven-day period Feb. 26 through March 4, Chester County recorded a COVID-19 percent-positivity rate of 4.7%, which was down from the 5.5% positivity rate recorded during the previous seven-day period Feb. 19 to
Feb. 25, 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.
Philadelphia County became the first county in the region to reach the 5% threshold with a positivity rate of 4.9% recorded during the week ending Feb. 25 and during the latest period ending March 4 that rate dropped even further to 4.5%, according to state data.
Montgomery County nearly reached the preferred threshold, recording a COVID-19 positivity rate of 5.1% for the period ending March 4, which was a decrease from the 5.9% positivity rate recorded the previous week.
Montgomery County recorded the first two cases of the virus on March 7, 2020, and this week marks the 53rd week since the virus surfaced in the county.
Montgomery County’s other neighboring counties recorded the following percent-positivity rates during the seven-day period ending March 4: Berks (8.5%); Lehigh (6.6%); Bucks (6.5%); and Delaware (5.1%), according to state statistics.
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 percent-positivity rate as of March 4 was 5.7%, down from the 6.2% positivity rate recorded the previous week, according to the dashboard.
“We continue to ask all Pennsylvanians to stay the course to unite against this virus,” Wolf said on Monday.
“As we have passed one year since the first case of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania and are rolling out our vaccination plan, practicing the proven health practices such as social distancing, washing hands frequently and wearing a mask continue to be important steps to mitigating the spread of the virus.”
As of March 4, the state recorded a seven-day case increase of 13,275 cases. The previous seven-day increase was 13,294 cases, indicating 19 fewer new cases across the state over the past week compared to the previous week.
State officials said 22 counties currently have a positivity rate lower than 5%. There are no counties reporting positivity rates over 20%, officials said.
“Thank you to all our fellow Pennsylvanians who practice safe and healthy practices and answer the call when public health professionals call to perform a case investigation or contact tracing – these practices truly help us unite and fight COVID-19 across the state,” state Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said on Monday. “We are moving in the right direction thanks to the commitment of our fellow Pennsylvanians.”
State and local officials have urged citizens to continue to abide by COVID-19 mitigation measures, downloading the COVID Alert PA app, and getting vaccinated when it’s your 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.