Credit: Mika Baumeister
A jump in early September COVID-19 cases among Bucks Countians has largely been attributed to college students returning to campuses and social gatherings.
In a statement, Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker said students and residents not adhering to mitigation measures can be blamed in part for the cases.
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“If not for social gatherings and college students becoming infected while socializing, Bucks County would have very few infections,” Damsker said. “People need to continue to take precautions in social settings by wearing masks and distancing themselves from others. If everyone did that, our numbers would be very low.”
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine made similar comments during a Monday press briefing. She said students in college need to follow the mitigation measures to stop outbreaks before they occur, because campus outbreaks spread throughout the wider community.
Between Friday and Monday, the county reported receiving confirmation at 142 new infections with 15 of them being delayed so long they were not considered active.
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The county learned of 30 new cases on Friday, 43 on Saturday, and a combined total of 69 between Sunday and Monday.
Among the new cases, 67 were through household contacts, 19 due to community spread, 15 from out-of-state infections, eight caught the virus at workplaces, five were residents or staff at long-term care facilities, two were healthcare workers, and 26 were unable to immediately be fully interviewed by contact trackers.
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As of Monday evening, eight Bucks Countians were in local hospitals due to COVID-19 and three were in critical condition on ventilators.
Since the pandemic began, the county has reported 7,811 positive cases, 524 deaths, and 6,903 recoveries.
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