Counties see uptick in positive test rates

HARRISBURG Montgomery County, as well as all neighboring counties, experienced upticks in coronavirus positivity rates during the last week, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

For the seven-day period Aug. 28 to Sept. 3 the percent-positivity rate for Montgomery County was 3.2 percent, according to the state’s COVID-19 Early Warning

Monitoring System Dashboard. That reflected an increase from the 3.0 percent-positivity rate the county recorded for the previous seven-day period Aug. 21 to Aug. 27.

Health officials believe having a positivity rate less than 5 percent indicates a county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed.

According to the latest state data, Montgomery County currently has the second lowest percent-positivity rate in southeast Pennsylvania, behind Lehigh County, which recorded a 2.8 percent-positivity rate for the latest seven-day period ending Sept. 3, which was up from 1.4 percent recorded the previous week.

Chester and Bucks counties each recorded a 3.6 percent-positivity rate for the period Aug. 28 to Sept. 3, increases from the 2.7 percent-positivity rate each county posted the week before, according to the data.

Delaware County recorded a 4.0 percent-positivity rate for the period ending Sept. 3, up from 3.4 percent the previous week. Philadelphia recorded a 4.4 percent-positivity rate during the most recent seven-day period, which was an increase from the 3.3 percent-positivity rate during the previous week.

Berks County recorded the highest percent-positivity rate, 4.9, in the southeast region for the period Aug. 28 to Sept. 3. The previous week Berks recorded a 4.8 percent-positivity rate.

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 data available on the dashboard includes week-over-week case differences, incidence rates, test percent-positivity, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits tied to COVID-19.

As of Sept. 3, the statewide percent-positivity rate increased to 4.0 percent from 3.2 percent the previous week, according to the dashboard.

“The virus is still circulating, and we must continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings to keep our numbers low, stop the spread and allow more freedom,” Wolf said earlier this week.

To keep the positivity rate below 5 percent, Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh stressed residents should continue to abide by all mask wearing, handwashing and social distancing recommendations.

“As we head into Labor Day weekend, I ask all Montgomery County residents to be mindful of the fact that while our positivity rate is hovering around 3%, we are consistently seeing an average of 40 to 45 new cases each day,” Arkoosh said this week. “Please don’t let down your guard over the holiday weekend.