Community Spread Up In PA, Risk Now 'Substantial' In 11 Counties
PENNSYLVANIA — The number of communities experiencing substantial community transition of the coronavirus continues to increase in Pennsylvania. The state now has 11 counties with substantial community spread, according to the most recent data made available by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That's up from seven communities the week before, and four the week before that.
In the week ending Oct. 15, 46 counties were listed in the moderate level of community spread, with 11 experiencing substantial transmission.
The counties at risk for substantial community transmission now include Berks, Blair, Bradford, Centre, Huntingdon, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Montour, Schuylkill, Union, and Westmoreland.
That's up from data from the week ending Oct. 8, when Bradford, Centre, Lebanon, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Union were considered at substantial levels.
The latest data comes as officials are warning the fall resurgence of COVID-19 has already arrived in Pennsylvania.
Counties currently experiencing moderate community spread as of the week ending Oct. 15 are Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Indiana, Jefferson, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Tioga, Venango, Washington, Wayne, Wyoming, and York.
Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In Pennsylvania, counties are rated either low, moderate or substantial community transmission risks.
Counties with low risk have had less than 10 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a less than 5 percent positivity rate over seven days.
The moderate designation means the county has had anywhere from 10 to less than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a 5-10 percent positivity rate over seven days.
Those designated as having substantial risk have had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a percent positivity rate above 10 percent over seven days.
The data is used to provide guidance for how schools should approach reopenings, as well as how to handle new coronavirus cases within a school community if in-person learning is taking place.
The state Department of Education said it recommends a fully remote education model in counties that have substantial risk of community spread.
For counties in the moderate designation, fully remote school or a blend of remote and in-person learning is recommended. In counties with a low transmission risk, the state recommends either a fully in-person model or some blended learning.
"The fall resurgence is here," Gov. Tom Wolf said this week. He noted now is the time to "double down on our efforts" to keep the prevent the spread of the virus. Levine has said there were no current plans to institute stay-at-home orders or other business closures.
Total cases in Pennsylvania reached 186,297 on Wednesday. Of those, 79 percent of patients have recovered. There have been 8,562 total deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. On Wednesday, 29 new deaths were reported.
This article originally appeared on the Across Pennsylvania Patch
