Montgomery County showings signs of suppressing virus
HARRISBURG >> Montgomery County recorded a coronavirus positivity rate that indicates the county is beginning to suppress the virus, according to the latest week-to-week data compiled by state health officials.
For the seven-day period March 5-11, the county recorded a COVID-19 percent-positivity rate of 4.8%, which was down from the 5.1% positivity rate recorded for the previous seven-day period Feb. 26-March 4, 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 March 7, 2020, and this week marks the 54th week since the virus surfaced in the county.
Chester County is the only other county in the Southeast Pennsylvania region to record a COVID-19 positivity rate less than 5% for the period ending March 11. Chester County’s current 4.3% positivity rate was a decrease from the 4.7% positivity rate recorded the previous week, according to state data.
Montgomery County’s other neighboring counties recorded the following percent-positivity rates during the seven-day period ending March 11: Berks (7.8%); Bucks (6.7%); Lehigh (6.4%); Delaware (5.4%); and Philadelphia (5.3%), 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 percentpositivity rate as of March 11 was 5.7% and remained unchanged and stable from the previous week, according to the dashboard.
“Our case counts continue to go down, hospitalizations are declining and the percent positivity rate gests lower every week – all positive signs,” Wolf said on Monday. “The number of people getting vaccinated increases daily and we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel.”
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.
“We’ve come so far and now is not the time to stop the safety measures we have in place to protect ourselves, our families and our communities,” Wolf said. “Keep wearing a mask, social distancing and, please, get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”
“We’ve come so far and now is not the time to stop the safety measures we have in place to protect ourselves, our families and our communities. Keep wearing a mask, social distancing and, please, get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”
— Gov. Tom Wolf