Bucks County Sees 260% Jump In Cases As Officials Urge Caution

In the period of one month, Bucks County has seen COVID-19 cases jump just over 260 percent.

While officials raised the alarm over the massive spike – one that is being seen nationwide – they also noted that there remains a lower rate of hospitalizations and deaths than in the spring.

Bucks County COVID-19 positive tests went from 229 new cases during the first full week of October to 826 new infections last week, the first full week of November. The number marks a 260 percent increase over last month and a 79 percent increase over the previous week.

The Bucks County Health Department reported a single-day record of 161 new cases on Friday. The previous record was 144 new cases on April 15.

Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said on Monday that statewide COVID-19 case rates are climbing at a pave more rapid than at any previous point in the pandemic. She noted that all parts of the state are seeing cases explode.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health moved Bucks County from having a “moderate” level of transmission to having a “substantial” amount of spread. In a statement, the state noted 6.2 percent of all COVID-19 tests in Bucks County were positive, an uptick from previous weeks.

Last week, the county reported a 54-year-old man, a 71-year-old man, and a 91-year-old woman died of COVID-19. All three had underlying conditions and lived in long-term care centers.

Since the pandemic began, Bucks County has seen 10,545 residents test positive for COVID-19, 539 deaths, and 8,953 confirmed recoveries. The median age of sick patients in the county is 48, while the median age of death is 84.

“Overall, the picture – while it’s not great to be in the middle of a surge – I think it’s better news than it was in the spring,” Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker said, citing the severity of cases and hospitalization rates being lower than the spring.

The county reported 16 Bucks Countians in hospitals with COVID-19 and one person in critical condition on a ventilator as of the weekend.

Damsker said hospitals are able to treat COVID-19 patients sooner and get ahead of the impact of the diseases. He said medical professional are trying to do early interventions on high-risk patients.

“The overall severity of cases is clearly down,” the county’s top public health official said, adding that doesn’t mean people should let their guard down.

Medical treatments for COVID-19 have improved as doctors learned more, but hospitalization rates often lag behind case numbers.

In nearby Philadelphia, officials have said they have hundreds of people in hospitals due to COVID-19 and they are “increasingly concerned.”

Bucks County Emergency Services Director Scott Forster and Damsker both said hospitals had surge plans in place and have been receiving additional supplies through county government.

County officials told reporters during a Tuesday morning press conference that contact tracing efforts, which is key to identifying and slowing outbreaks, were overwhelmed due to the massive number of cases.

According to data released by the county health department, among the 826 cases last week, there were 337 ill residents who did not talk to contact tracers.

“The problem we’re having is that the numbers are simply overwhelming,” Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie said of contact tracing efforts.

“At these very high case counts, contract tracing starts becoming difficult and less effective, so we depend more and more on education and people taking personal responsibility for keeping spread in check,” Damsker said. “We will continue focusing on schools and long-term care facilities as our investigative priorities.”

Aside from paid staff, the Bucks County Medical Reserve Corps, which is made up of volunteers with medical training, has been assisting with contact tracing efforts.

Harvie said every government is hiring contact tracers and all staff need to be trained, which is not an easy task.

“It’s not like we can just put out a want ad and attract people … at some point there becomes a critical mass,” Harvie said.

Damsker noted that in the spring while other communities were overwhelmed, Bucks County was still able to continue contact tracing from the start of the pandemic through last week.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said there were problems with keeping up with contact tracing and hearing back from ill residents statewide.

“I can not stress enough how absolutely critical this information is and how important it is for people to answer the call,” Levine said.

Bucks County Commissioners Chairperson Diane Ellis-Marseglia said she believes “we are absolutely avoiding” stay-at-home orders amid the increase in case numbers.

She said officials were hoping to bring COVID-19 numbers down by bringing precautions like wearing a mask and physical distancing to the forefront.

County, state, and federal health experts have all said wearing a mask when near others, sanitizing your hands, keeping physical distance, and staying in when feeling ill are simple and proven ways to slow the spread of the coronavirus that has killed more than 240,000 Americans since March.

“People are getting tired of wearing the mask … we just need people to buckle down,” Harvie said.

Ellis-Marseglia said that COVID-19 can easily spring up among vulnerable populations, such as those in nursing homes, if people are not careful. Long-term care centers in Bucks County led to the majority of COVID-19 deaths within the county.

Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo urged residents to wear a mask, citing the fact that asymptomatic and pre-systematic patients who don’t even know they’re sick can spread the virus.

“Please wear a mask when you are out in public. You are affording protections to everyone around,” DiGirolamo said.

Harvie said the county is seeing less cases from businesses like restaurants and retailers because people are distancing and wearing masks. More cases are from parties and gatherings with family and friends. He said recent outbreaks have been due to Halloween parties, a group of high schoolers gathering after a football game, weddings, and co-workers eating together at lunch.

“Please, keep wearing the masks and social distance,” Harvie said.

As a public health professional, Damsker noted that schools, where mandatory mask wearing and physical distancing are in place and heavily enforced, have seen few major outbreaks.

“People are getting it from unmasked exposures,” Damsker said.

The county COVID-19 press conference took place outside a new Bucks County Emergency Services warehouse, which was paid for with federal homeland security funds, in Warrington Township. Reporters were able to observe municipal officials from around the county, including Middletown Township, pick up personal protective equipment and other supplies, for distribution to hospitals, emergency responders, and long-term care facilities.

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