40 New Coronavirus Cases, 5 Deaths In Bucks Co.

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Forty new cases of COVID-19 were reported Friday in Bucks County. It was the largest daily total in a week. The spike followed Thursday's 19 cases — the lowest one-day total since March 26.

Increased reports of new infections are not unusual on Fridays, as a number of private testing labs have delivered larger than usual batches of results on Fridays and Mondays, according to Bucks County Health Department Director David Damsker.

Damsker said the increased numbers were largely tied to long-term care facilities and infections from household contacts. "Regardless of today's slight increase, we expect to see the overall trend downward to continue," he said in a news release.

Of Friday’s new cases, 12 were infections from household contacts, 11 were residents or workers at long-term care facilities, three were spread in healthcare settings, three were pure community spread, and two were tied to non-healthcare workplaces. Nine of the newly infected patients were not able to be interviewed yet.

Five deaths also were reported Friday, all occurring within the past six days. Those who died were ages 63 to 98, and all but one were long-term care residents. All had underlying health conditions, according to information from the county.

Ninety Bucks County coronavirus patients remain hospitalized, and 20 are in critical condition and on ventilators. Of the 4,754 county residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, 451 have died and 1,556 are confirmed to have recovered.

>>>Full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania.