COVID-19 hospitalizations rising in Montco
NORRISTOWN » Positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are rising in Montgomery County and health officials urged residents to take the surge seriously, hoping to suppress the spread of the virus and protect hospital workers from being overburdened.
“For many weeks we have discussed and public health experts have predicted that we would be in the midst of a fall surge of COVID-19 cases. Our positivity rate is increasing,” county Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said during a news briefing on Wednesday.
The overall 14-day COVID-19 positivity rate for the county, as of Oct. 30, was 4.39% which was an increase from the 3.16% positivity rate recorded for the 14day period ending Oct. 23.
“This is another reminder of the fact that there’s a lot of virus out in our community and it does continue to spread,” Arkoosh said. “The virus is affecting people of all ages all across our county. We’re seeing increases in almost every single community.
“The virus is affecting people of all ages all across our county. We’re seeing increases in almost every single community.” — Montgomery County Commissioner Dr. Valerie Arkoosh
“The increase is now across just about every age group, 64 years of age and under. Of note this week, is that individuals 55 to 64 years of age are experiencing an increasing share of cases for the first time since April,” Arkoosh added.
Health officials believe having a positivity rate less than 5% indicates the county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed.
A review of daily positivity rates from Oct. 17 to Oct. 30 showed the county was above 5% on four days.
“So we want to make sure people are taking this quite serious,” Arkoosh said. “Additionally, our hospitalizations continue to increase.”
On Wednesday, 101 individuals with COVID-19 were in county hospitals, which represented an increase of 31 individuals from the previous week and an increase of 62 from two weeks ago. Seven-percent of the individuals require a ventilator, officials said.
“As a reminder, both hospitalizations and deaths lag behind cases,” said Arkoosh, who as a physician has been at the forefront of the county’s efforts to combat COVID-19 and provide citizens with the latest information regarding the outbreak. “Please take this increase in case numbers seriously. We are already starting to see a rapid increase in hospitalizations.”
On Tuesday, Arkoosh convened a meeting with representatives of the county’s hospitals to discuss COVID-19 surge planning.
“Currently, no hospital has unmet needs. But they did ask me to remind our entire community that their staff has never stopped caring for COVID-19 patients. This work is extremely labor intensive for all hospital workers and does expose them and their families to some risk,” Arkoosh said.
“Please remember these workers as you go about your day and do everything that you can to help keep our hospital numbers as low as possible,” Arkoosh added. “Our goal is to keep this surge fairly flat, as flat as we can so that our hospitals do not become overburdened.”
On Wednesday, officials reported 131 new cases of the virus and on Thursday, there were 122 reported new cases, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 14,464 since March 7, when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county. Five of the cases reported during the two-day period were individuals who resided in longterm care facilities.
Officials also reported two more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, bringing the county’s death toll to 842 since the pandemic began 35 weeks ago. No new deaths were reported on Thursday. To date, 447 females and 395 males, who ranged in age from 36 to 104, have died from the virus in the county.
“Social gatherings, sports and recreational activities continue to be our biggest sources of spread,” Arkoosh said.
For example, Arkoosh said health officials and contact tracers recently investigated an outbreak that began with three adult ice hockey teams that played at the Hatfield Ice Arena or at Oaks Center Ice.
“There are now 17 positive individuals from three different teams. Some of the positive individuals coached other teams where there are now at least six additional positive individuals across five different junior teams and those cases are still being investigated and there may be more positive cases,” Arkoosh explained.
“As a result of the 23 positive cases from these eight teams, 73 close contacts are now in quarantine. A common thread among all of these positive cases is the lack of mask wearing and social distancing, particularly on the bench,” Arkoosh added.
To f latten the current surge of COVID-19 cases in the county and to keep the positivity rate below 5%, Arkoosh urged residents to wear a mask when near non-household contacts, to avoid social gatherings, to abide by handwashing recommendations, to fully cooperate if they receive a call from a contact tracer, and to download the free 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.
More people in the county do appear to be taking advantage of testing opportunities for the virus. Officials reported that for the 14-day period ending Oct. 30, there were 33,063 county residents who obtained tests for COVID-19, which was an increase of 2,459 compared with the 14-day period ending Oct. 23.
“It’s great to see that our testing continues to go up and I want to continue to encourage people to do that,” Arkoosh said.
Officials said more testing provides the county the opportunity to do more surveillance and learn how the virus is circulating in the county and suppress any outbreak that may surface.
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, Monday through Friday.
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 1 p.m., and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 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 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 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 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 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 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.