Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
County reports virus in rapid decline
Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Val Arkoosh appeared cautiously optimistic as she gave her opening comments on the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday.
“I am pleased to report that we are seeing a steady decrease in our COVID-19 indicators over the past three weeks,” Arkoosh said during Thursday morning’s Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting.
There were 403 reported cases of Montgomery County residents who contracted COVID-19 from Tuesday to Wednesday. Of those, five cases came from long-term care facilities, according to Montgomery County’s COVID-19 Data HUB. Nine deaths were reported in that time frame.
As for hospitalizations, 250 people are hospitalized in Montgomery County medical facilities, with 27 on ventilators, according to Montgomery County’s
COVID-19 Data HUB. Arkoosh pointed out the notable decrease from the county’s peak rate of 669 hospitalizations on Jan. 12.
In addition, she noted a “19.85 percent positivity rate,” as well as a total seven-day average of 395.6 cases.
“(It’s) still a very high number
of daily cases, but this is down from the seven-day average of 561 (cases), and a positivity of 25.41 percent just a week ago,” she said. “So we are seeing a rapid decline, which hopefully will persist.”
There have been 116,934 COVID-19 cases and 1,574 deaths recorded since the first cases were detected locally back on March 7, 2020, according to the county’s online COVID-19 database.
The area experienced an incidence rate of 464.4 cases per 100,000 residents from the most recent seven days, between Jan. 21 and Jan. 27, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard.
Arkoosh acknowledged an increase in COVID-19-related deaths over the past several days. Specifically, she said that 58 deaths were recorded from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2.
“The majority of these individuals were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated,” Arkoosh said. “The best way to protect yourself from serious disease, hospitalization or death is to get vaccinated and boosted for maximum protection against the virus and its variants.”
In Montgomery County, 519,818 residents have been fully inoculated, while 139,531 people have received at least one COVID-19 shot, according to the state health department’s COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard. Additionally, 233,911 residents have received an additional dose since Aug. 13, 2021.
“Our data shows that 94 percent of eligible Montgomery County residents over the age of 5 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which is fantastic, and we believe that many of these people are fully vaccinated,” she said. “So we just want to keep that going.”
Montgomery County has COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Ardmore, Norristown, Pottstown, and Willow Grove. Flu shots are also available at these participating locations. For more information and hours of operation, visit montcopa.org/covid-19vaccine.
“We have plenty of vaccine supply, and we encourage anyone who’s unvaccinated to simply walk into any one of our clinics,” she said. “You do not need an appointment.”
However, appointments are required to get a COVID-19 booster shot, according to Arkoosh.
“I want to stress the importance of a booster dose if you’re due for one,” she said. “Like many vaccines the strength of the COVID-19 vaccine decreases over time. A booster dose if you’re due for one will give you the best protection from serious disease.”
“In other vaccine news, Pfizer has submitted data to FDA seeking authorization for a coronavirus vaccine for children under 5 years old,” Arkoosh said. “If approved, the county will be ready to administer this vaccine at our vaccination clinics, and will continue to provide education for parents about the vaccine.”
Montgomery County also offers free COVID-19 PCR tests from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the following locations: 114 W. Lancaster Ave in Ardmore; the intersection of Deep Creek and Snyder roads in Green Lane; 1401 DeKalb St. in Norristown; 364 King St. in Pottstown; and 2252 W. Moreland Road in Willow Grove.
A contract for another testing site in Lansdale was approved last month, but it’s unclear when it will be operational.
Those interested in getting tested should register online or call 610-970-2937 each day beginning at 8:30 a.m.
“Appointments are readily available and lab turnaround time has returned to normal,” Arkoosh said. “So most people tested at our sites can expect to get their results back within 2 to 3 days at the most.”
Households can also sign up to receive at-home rapid antigen tests at covidtests. gov, she said.
For more information and resources, visit montcopa.org/covid-19.