Credit: PA Internet News Service
Bucks County has reached a new record of COVID-19 cases and the test positivity rate has reached 9.5 percent.
On Tuesday night, the Bucks County Health Department released its report for last week. The report was delayed past its usual Monday release due to an issue with collecting the numbers, a spokesperson said.
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Last week, the county recorded a record-breaking 1,676 new COVID-19 cases. The weekly test positivity rate has climbed from 3.3 percent late last month to 9.5 percent last week.
Last week, county health officials have received word of 12 deaths of COVID-19 patients. The deaths happened between Friday, October 30 and last Friday. All of the victims – ranging in age from 34 to to their 90s – had underlying health conditions and all but two lived in long-term care facilities and were over the age of 80.
“Older Bucks Countians are clearly at the highest risk of serious illness from COVID,” Bucks County Health Department Director Dr. David Damsker said in a statement. “Let’s protect them as best we can, and make sure we aren’t sick and wear our masks when we’re around them. We know how to stop the spread of this virus. Let’s work together to be smarter.”
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Compared to the same period last month, COVID-19 cases have increased by 532 percent in Bucks County.
The number of new cases has smashed those seen during the first wave of COVID-19 in the spring. The number of deaths was the highest reported since May.
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The total number of Bucks Countians admitted to local hospitals due to COVID-19 rose to 22 with two people in critical condition on ventilators, a roughly 38 percent increase over the week before but much lower than in the spring.
The rising positivity rate and uptick in hospitalizations indicate that the growth in cases is due to increased spread and not just more available testing.
Hospitalizations and deaths often lag behind case upticks.
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Medical staff at Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township, St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown Township, and Jefferson Bucks Hospital in Falls Township have all confirmed that over the past week their facilities went on divert status for periods of time due to high volumes of patients. While many patients are not admitted, there have been rising numbers of people with the virus or concerns over it showing up at emergency rooms.
The county has been unable to keep up with contact tracing due to the sheer number of COVID-19 cases, but national, statewide, and county data has shown many cases are coming from gatherings of friends and family.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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“The numbers are much higher, and almost every case is from unmasked exposures to family, friends, and co-workers. We need to tighten up mask usage in all situations. We’ve seen that they work, and work very well,” Damsker said. “The transmission risk is extremely low when both the infected person and the exposed person are masked – so low that a few states don’t even consider it to be an exposure.”
On Tuesday, state officials released new guidance for wearing masks and limited steps aimed at bringing down the number of cases.
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State health officials reported there were 35,317 positive cases across Pennsylvania last week and 2,575 people – most over the age of 65 – in hospitals.
For the past two weeks, the state health department has categorized Bucks County as having “substantial” COVID-19 spread.
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“The significant increase in cases and percent positivity across much of the state is cause for concern,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement. “We need all Pennsylvanians to take a stand and answer the call to protect one another. We need Pennsylvanians to be united in wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, washing our hands and avoiding gatherings. It is only by working together that Pennsylvanians can prevent the spread of the virus.”
There are simple steps residents can take to keep themselves and their neighbors healthy and keep businesses open. Federal, state, and local health experts have said those feeling ill should stay home, people should sanitize their hands, those leaving their home should wear a mask, and residents should keep physical distance.
Since the pandemic began, Bucks County has reported 12,241 residents tested positive for COVID-19, 551 deaths, and 9,344 confirmed recoveries.
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