PA Counties Where Coronavirus Is On The Rise

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania's coronavirus case count is nearing 87,000, as 618 additional positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Tuesday. Pennsylvania now has 86,606 cases and 6,649 total deaths after 35 new deaths were reported Tuesday.

After trending downward for weeks, coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania are experiencing an uptick, particularly in the areas of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine, speaking during a news conference Monday, addressed the matter, saying officials are closely monitoring the positivity rate of the tests that are completed. "When we see that go up, then we are seeing more cases," she said.

In Allegheny County, officials this week decided to restrict alcohol sales in bars and restaurants after an alarming increase in cases. After reviewing local data, officials there noted more young people were getting infected. Many of them had not been practicing social distancing, not wearing masks, and had spent time out in bars, Levine said.

In Montgomery County, the bulk of new cases are not in long-term care facilities, which historically has bore the brunt of local cases.

Of 117 new coronavirus cases reported over the past three days in Montgomery County, just 19 were in long-term care facilities. It's welcome news for the county's nursing homes, which have seen more than 80 percent of the county's cases, but it also means the virus is primarily spreading in the general population.

Levine said despite the rise in reported cases, Pennsylvania's hospitalization rate is declining. There are currently 643 residents in the state hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of them, 104 are on ventilators. One month ago, there were more than 1,300 people hospitalized in Pennsylvania, and 284 were on ventilators.

The news comes as federal health experts on Tuesday warned the country could see 100,000 new coronavirus cases each day if current trends continue. Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, is warning that spikes in cases in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas are particularly troubling.

Since March, more than 126,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.

In Pennsylvania, health officials continue to remind residents to adhere to social distancing and safety precautions. Gov. Tom Wolf has repeated reiterated the importance of the mask mandate when residents are in public.

So where are coronavirus cases increasing the most in Pennsylvania?

Here's a look at some counties experiencing a recent increase in cases:

ALLEGHENY

In Allegheny County, there have been 424 cases in the past seven days. The county has reported a total of 2,614 cases throughout the pandemic. The positive test rate has increased from 2.6 to 5.1 in just a week. The incidence rate of the virus has increased from 11 per 100,000 residents to nearly 35 per 100,000 residents in a week.

In response to the alarming spike, Allegheny County officials have banned on-site alcohol consumption at bars and restaurants.

It went green on June 5.

CAMBRIA

Cambria County's case rate per 100,000 residents has increased from 0 to 10 in a week, with newly reported confirmed cases increasing from 0 to 14 in that span of time.

It went green on June 5.

DAUPHIN

On June 29, Dauphin County experienced its highest single-day case count increase throughout the whole pandemic, when 75 cases were reported.

Its positive test rate is up a nearly a percent from the past week, rising from 6.9 to 7.7 percent.

It went green on June 19.

LANCASTER

Cases in Lancaster are increasing, with 383 cases in the last seven days — up from 244 cases in the week prior. The incidence rate of the virus has increased from 45 per 100,000 residents to nearly 70.5 per 100,000 in a week.

It went green on June 26.

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia has delayed moving to green, health officials announced Tuesday after 142 more cases and five new deaths were reported. To move to fully into the green phase, the city wants to have fewer than 80 new cases per day, or a less than 4 percent positive rate out of 2,000 tests of more.

The positivity rate of tests is currently up to 6.2 percent in Philadelphia. As a result, the city has paused its reopening until Aug. 1.

SOMERSET

Somerset County has a total of 61 cases, with 20 of those occurring in the past two weeks. The incidence rate per 100,000 residents has increased to nearly 18 — up from 9.5 per 100,000 residents the week before.

It went green on June 5.

WASHINGTON

Washington County has a total of 219 cases, with 61 reported in the past two weeks. The incidence rate per 100,000 residents has increased to 22 — up from 6 per 100,000 residents the week before. The positivity rate of tests is also increasing in Washington County. It's up to 4.6 percent, after being below 2 percent the week before.

It went green on June 5.

WESTMORELAND

Westmoreland County has reported 91 new cases over the past week, bringing its total case count to 646. On April 24, during the peak of the pandemic, Westmoreland reported 38 new cases. Its highest single-day case count since that peak occurred on June 26, when 21 new cases were reported.

The incidence rate per 100,000 residents has increased to 26 — up from 13.7 per 100,000 residents the week before.

It went green on June 5.

YORK

York County has reported 1,461 cases, with 320 of those cases confirmed in the past two weeks. York reported its highest single-day case count increase throughout the duration of the pandemic on June 21, when 53 new cases were reported.

It went green on June 12.

You can see full county-by-county data here.

Finding Our Way Forward: See more stories about Pennsylvania's coronavirus recovery

This article originally appeared on the Newtown Patch