5 Key Coronavirus Metrics Rise Slightly In Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — Five different metrics tracked by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on the county level showed a slight increase in Montgomery County over the past week.

The metrics, pulled together in the state's Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard, paint a comprehensive picture of the impact and status of the virus in the community and the healthcare system at large.

While five of the six metrics tracked trended upwards over the past week, the overall metrics remain relatively stable and strong: the county's percent positivity rate on all tests, for instance, increased to 3.1, but that number remains well below the threshold for what's considered "concerning" at five percent. The 3.1 percent is elevated from 3.0 last week, and the county's low just a few weeks ago at 2.7 percent.

The overall number of cases also increased slightly in the county over the last seven days, from 290 to 305. But the daily average for a 14 day period has held steady at 40 to 41 for weeks now.

Another metric which rose was the incidence rate per 100,000 residents: it sits at 36.8 this week, after hitting 35 last week.

In addition, two hospital-related metrics increased slightly: the average daily number of patients placed on ventilators in the county rose from 4 to 6.3, and the percent of emergency room visits related to coronavirus increased from 0.5 percent to 0.6 percent.

A sixth metric tracked by the state, the overall number of hospitalizations, decreased this week to 41 after last week's 46.

Montgomery County's numbers continue to stack up well against the region and the rest of the state. The statewide percent positivity rating sits at 3.2 percent, as of Monday afternoon.

Montgomery County has seen a total of 10,726 cases and 826 deaths from coronavirus since the pandemic began.

See the state's Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard and related data here.