Health & Fitness
2 More Dead, 77 New Coronavirus Cases In Bucks Co.
Bucks County's health director said Thursday he expects to see the virus's local peak "fairly soon."
BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Two more people with the new coronavirus died in Bucks County on Thursday, bringing the death total in the county to eight.
The victims, a 79-year-old man and an 82-year-old woman, both had underlying health conditions, said county Health Director Dr. David Damsker.
Thirty-five Bucks County residents are now hospitalized with COVID-19, Damsker said, 12 of them in critical condition.
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On Thursday, 77 new coronavirus cases were reported in Bucks County. More than half of those came from a private testing company that submitted multiple days of results, he said.
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The daily trend lately had been between 35-55 new cases.
The new reports brought Bucks County's total coronavirus cases to 450. Sixty-seven of those have recovered and been released from isolation, officials said.
Damsker said that while no one knows when the coronavirus will peak in Pennsylvania and Bucks County, "I do think it’s reasonable to say that, given the social distancing that is in place, we will start to see it fairly soon."
He said that Bucks County hospitals are busy but that capacity is not yet an issue. He said all local hospitals have plans to increase their capacities if needed.
Emergency Services Director Scott T. Forster said Thursday the county is evaluating closed medical facilities in Upper and Lower Bucks County that could help accommodate a surge.
Statewide, more than 7,000 Pennsylvanians in 62 counties have tested positive for the virus, with more than 90 deaths reported.
Residents of 48 of Bucks County's 54 municipalities have now tested positive for the virus, with New Hope, East Rockland, New Britain and Silverdale added to the list Thursday. The county is maintaining an online map showing those municipalities.
On the same Web page, Bucks County now is breaking down positive coronavirus cases by age range and gender as well as the number of overall cases.
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