COVID-19 rate rises slightly in Montco
HARRISBURG» Montgomery County’s coronavirus percent-positivity rate increased slightly as the county entered the 45th week of the pandemic, according to the latest data compiled by state health officials.
For the period Jan. 1 to Jan. 7, Montgomery County recorded a COVID-19 percent-positivity rate of 11.6%, an increase from the 11.3% positivity rate recorded during the seven-day period Dec. 25 to Dec. 31, 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% in
dicates a county is controlling the spread of the virus and keeping it suppressed.
The county recorded the first two cases of the virus in March and this week marks the 45th week since the virus surfaced in the county.
Each of Montgomery County’s six neighboring counties also recorded positivity rates above the 5% threshold for the most recent seven-day period, according to the state’s data.
Lehigh County continued to record the highest positivity rate in the region at 19.5% for the period ending Jan. 7, which was an increase from 18.6% the previous week.
Montgomery County’s other neighboring counties recorded the following percent-positivity rates during the seven-day period ending Jan. 7: Berks (16.2%); Bucks (14.7%); Delaware (11.3%); Chester (11.1%); and Philadelphia (10.8%), according to state data.
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 Jan. 7 was 14.4% which was a decrease from the 15% positivity rate recorded the previous week, according to the dashboard.
“Although I am grateful to see our statewide percent positivity decrease for yet another week in a row, we still have more work to do to keep our friends and loved ones safe from further spread across our communities,” Wolf said on Monday.
“As Pennsylvanians travel within their communities, I want to take the opportunity to remind them to stay safe by wearing a mask, social distancing and avoiding gatherings of people. If you travel somewhere where they are not doing so, I encourage you to make the right choice to leave,” Wolf added.
As of Jan. 7, the state recorded a seven-day case increase of 42,322 cases. The previous seven-day increase was 41,228 cases, indicating 1,034 more new cases across the state over the past week compared to the previous week.
All 67 counties were in the substantial level of community transmission, the highest level of transmission, according to the latest data.
“We continue to report widespread community transmission as COVID-19 remains a threat in our communities,” state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said on Monday. “We need to stay calm, stay alert, and stay safe by wearing a mask, avoiding gatherings, practicing social distancing, answering the call when public health professionals call, and downloading the COVID Alert PA app.”
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.
Meanwhile, for the period Jan. 8 to Jan.11, Montgomery County recorded a total of 1,062 new positive cases of the virus, bringing the county’s total number of cases to 37,338 since March 7 when the first two cases of the virus were identified in the county. Thirtythree of the 1,062 new cases were residents of long-term care facilities, according to county data.
County of ficials said there were no new COVID-19 deaths during the three-day period Jan. 8 through Jan. 11. The county’s death toll from the virus remains at 1,060, according to county data.
As of Monday, there were 393 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 at the county’s nine hospitals and 41 of those patients required ventilators.
On Monday, state officials reported that through Jan. 10 there were 264,380 first doses and 21,291 full doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines administered statewide. The state reported on Monday that 16,924 partial doses of the two available vaccines had been administered thus far in Montgomery County. State officials also reported that 910 full doses of the vaccine had been administered in Montgomery County.
Pennsylvania is still in Phase 1A of the three-phase vaccine distribution plan.
County health officials have said the start of the vaccination program is promising news but added it will still take some time until everyone can be vaccinated and therefore people will have to continue to follow mitigation efforts to protect the health system and themselves.