Nearly all of Pennsylvania’s counties have “substantial” spread of the coronavirus and the state’s rate of positive tests for COVID-19 continues to rise, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday.
The state’s positive test rate jumped to 11.1%, up from 9.6% last week, according to Wolf’s office. The positive rate was 6.9% two weeks ago. Health officials have said when the positive rate rises above 5%, it’s an indication of troubling community spread. Only one county in Pennsylvania - Cameron County - has a positive rate below 5% (Cameron is at 1.9%).
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Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday some projections show the state’s intensive care unit beds could be filled within a week if cases continue to spike.
“This week’s data, in terms of hospitalization increase, an increase in the use of ventilators, case increase and percent positivity are worrisome,” Levine said in a statement. “Latest models show we could run out of ICU beds within a week.”
Across Pennsylvania, 63 of the state’s 67 counties are now considered to have “substantial” spread of the coronavirus.
Levine has issued guidance to hospitals to plan for a surge of coronavirus patients and to assist each other if some facilities reach capacity. She also expanded the state’s mask order to cover virtually all instances when leaving the home.
More coronavirus patients are in hospitals than at any time since the pandemic emerged. There are now 3,459 coronavirus patients in hospitals, according to the health department. For perspective, about 450 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in late September.
The governor said the new data on the spread of the coronavirus should compel the state’s residents to protect themselves and each other.
“Another week of significant increases of COVID-19 across Pennsylvania is a call to action,” Wolf said in a statement. “We need all Pennsylvanians to take the steps they can to protect one another. We need Pennsylvanians to follow the most recent orders and wear a mask, social distance, avoid travel and gatherings and wash their hands. It is only by working together that Pennsylvanians can prevent the spread of the virus.”
Each week, the state provides an update of the level of coronavirus transmission in every county in Pennsylvania. There are three levels: low, moderate and substantial.
The Wolf administration has encouraged schools to use the level of transmission as a guidepost on holding in-person classes, remote learning or a blend of online learning and face-to-face instruction. The state has said schools in counties with a substantial level of transmission should consider going remotely.
Here’s a look at the counties at each level of transmission:
Substantial: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York
Moderate: Pike and Wayne
Low: Cameron and Sullivan
A number of schools throughout central Pennsylvania have moved to remote learning at least through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Philadelphia has imposed new restrictions, barring indoor dining and putting in more limits on the size of gatherings.
More than 300,000 people in Pennsylvania have contracted the coronavirus and about 9,800 deaths have been tied to COVID-19, according to the health department.
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