Few counties are seeing a substantial spread of COVID-19, Governor Tom Wolf’s government said on Wednesday.
Across Pennsylvania, 21 of the state’s 67 counties are experiencing high transmission of the coronavirus. For the first time in months, less than a third of the state’s counties are seeing substantial spread, said the Wolf government.
The state’s positive test rate for COVID-19 remained stable at 5.7% for the week of March 5 to 11, corresponding to the percentage of the previous week. This is the first time that the rate of positive tests has not dropped in about three months. The positive test rate plummeted for 12 consecutive weeks, after reaching a 16.2% rise in December. Health officials said a positive test rate in excess of 5% is a source of concern.
Last week, the Wolf government said there was substantial spread across 29 counties, so there are now eight counties less with high transmission of the virus. The Wolf administration uses three categories to assess transmission of COVID-19: low, moderate and substantial.
“While the case count continues to decline, the percentage of positivity decreases and more and more citizens of Pennsylvania are vaccinated, we are still reporting thousands of cases a day and that is still worrying,” Wolf said in a statement. “We are on the right way. As the weather warms up, remember to wear a mask, practice social distance and wash your hands frequently, as the virus is still present in our communities. “
Overall, the number of counties with high transmission of the virus has dropped steadily in recent weeks. There was a substantial spread across all of the state’s counties during much of December and January.
Citing the drop in new COVID-19 cases, Wolf announced on Monday that he would begin easing restrictions on restaurants and other businesses from April 4.
Restaurants may exceed 75% of the occupancy limits for indoor dining. Gyms and entertainment venues, including theaters, shopping malls and casinos can also handle up to 75%. The governor also said that internal events can reach 25% of the occupancy limit and external events can reach 50% of the capacity.
Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have declined in recent weeks. The state reports that 1,500 people are being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals, below a peak of around 6,300 in December.
A closer look
State officials urged school officials to assess the extent of the spread of COVID-19 by the community to determine whether students should be at school or remotely educated. Local school leaders have the authority to decide whether schools should teach in person, remotely or with a combination of distance learning and face-to-face teaching.
Five counties in Pennsylvania are classified as low transmission. There are 41 counties with moderate spread of the coronavirus, according to Wolf’s office.
Some of Pennsylvania’s most populous counties – including Allegheny and Montgomery – are now seeing only a moderate spread of COVID-19. In central Pennsylvania, Cumberland, Perry and Juniata counties are among those who have seen moderate transmission of the virus.
Philadelphia, the state’s most populous county, continues to spread widely. Several central Pennsylvania counties, including Dauphin and Lancaster, are seeing substantial transmission, according to the Wolf government.
Low: Cameron, Forest, Fulton, Potter and Sullivan
Moderate: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Clarion, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Elk, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lawrence, Luzerne, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Montgomery, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland and Wyoming
Substantial: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Center, Clearfield, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lycoming, Monroe, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike and Wayne, York
Vaccine implementation
Governor Wolf said the state is accelerating its vaccine distribution, which has received some criticism for falling behind other states. Wolf acknowledged that improvements can be made, but said the main challenge remains that demand far exceeds the available supply of vaccines. Wolf said vaccine supplies are improving.
Last week, Wolf said that everyone in Phase 1A of the vaccine distribution should be able to make an appointment for an injection by the end of March. Those in Phase 1A include healthcare professionals, adults 65 and older, and younger adults with certain medical conditions or high-risk conditions, such as cancer or heart disease.
The state has initiated an initiative to vaccinate teachers and other school staff. The Wolf government has reserved Johnson & Johnson’s first batch of vaccines for school and daycare workers, and Wolf hopes to have most of them vaccinated by the end of the month. Johnson & Johnson vaccines require only one dose; the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two vaccines.
When vaccinations for school officials are completed, Wolf said the next batch of vaccines from Johnson & Johnson will go to law enforcement officials, firefighters, grocery workers and other critical workers. Some doses of Johnson & Johnson will also be used in regional mass vaccination clinics.
So far, nearly 2.5 million people are at least partially vaccinated and nearly 1.3 million have had their second injection and are fully vaccinated, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. These figures do not include the city of Philadelphia, which is doing its own vaccine distribution.
In Philadelphia, more than 378,000 received their first injection and more than 147,000 received their second dose, according to the city’s health department. By including Philly’s data, the state has more than 2.8 million who received at least the first dose and about 1.4 million are fully vaccinated.
Since the pandemic’s emergence in Pennsylvania, more than 970,000 people have contracted the coronavirus and more than 24,600 deaths have been associated with COVID-19. More than half of these deaths occurred in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes.
Most infected people have relatively mild symptoms and many do not even get sick, but doctors say the virus poses risks for everyone, especially the elderly and people with health problems.
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