County reports 4 more deaths from COVID-19
Testing is available for all county residents at community-based sites
NORRISTOWN » Montgomery County officials on Tuesday reported four more coronavirus deaths and more than two dozen new positive cases of the virus.
The four most recent deaths included two women and two men who ranged in age from 71 to 91. Three of the individuals lived in long-term care facilities. The four deaths bring the county’s death toll to 785 since the pandemic began in March. To date, 413 females and 372 males have died from the virus.
According to county data, 656 of the total 785 deaths involved individuals who resided in longterm care facilities.
The 785 total deaths were “confirmed positive” COVID-19 cases through the use of lab tests.
Earlier this week, officials said 88 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 27 new positive cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, which brings the county’s total number of cases to 8,067 since March 7 when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county. The individuals, 20 females and seven males, ranged in age from 20 to 97 and they resided in 12 municipalities, officials reported.
Testing for anyone who needs or wants to be tested continues to be available at the county’s community-based testing sites in Pottstown, Norristown and Whitpain.
“In an effort to focus on early detection and containment of any new outbreaks, the county has eliminated restrictions for testing so that anyone who needs or wants to be tested can be tested, whether or not they have symptoms,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh said on Tuesday. “We have also expanded our contact tracing efforts to include a call back number for those who may have missed the call from our Department of Health regard
ing their results or status.
“As the coronavirus continues to remain in our community, each of us must be personally responsible for our actions and work together to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in Montgomery County,” Arkoosh added.
A walk-up testing site is available at the county’s Office of Public Health Pottstown Health Center at 364 King St. Testing is available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. by appointment only. To make an appointment, residents should call 610-970-2937 beginning at 8:30 a.m. daily.
A walk-up communitybased testing site also is located on the parking lot of the Delaware Valley Community Health Norristown Regional Health Center, 1401 DeKalb St., in Norristown. Testing is provided by appointment only from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and is open to Norristown residents and all established patients of the Delaware Valley Community Health Center regardless of where they reside. Residents can register for testing by calling 610592-0680 starting at 8:30 a.m. daily.
A drive-thru testing site at the central campus of the Montgomery County Community College in Whitpain will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as testing supplies allow. Registration for each day’s appointments will open at 8 a.m. daily and will remain open until all available spots are filled. Individuals can register online at www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 or can call 610-631-3000 to register for a testing appointment.
Information about additional testing sites, including pharmacies, many of which operate over the weekend, can be found at www.montcopa.org/COVID-19 under the “County Testing Information” button.