Chester County Dips Onto 'Moderate' Risk Line For COVID

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — The number of new COVID-19 cases reported went down by 126 this week in Chester County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the county dropped into the "moderate" risk level at 10 percent test positivity.

Chester County's percent positivity rate is down to 1o percent in the state's weekly update, from 11.1 percent last week. This means that 1 in 10 tests given for COVID-19 are coming up positive. The measure, along with others the state reports, provides a better picture of how the virus is behaving in a specific place.

The 10 percent marker is important. The DOH and Department of Education have made 10 percent positivity the line between "moderate" and "substantial" risk for community transmission of COVID-19.

At 10 percent, state officials' guidance says it is safe to bring students into classrooms for hybrid instruction, though school districts may make their decisions based on local information. The Department of Education's guidelines call for a 5 percent positivity rate — or one positive test in 20 — to be in the "low" risk category recommended for full in-person instruction.

The Jan. 15 state update also showed the county's incidence rate is down. This measure helps show the density of the population that has been infected, alongside just case counts. That number is down to 254 of every 100,000 residents, from 278 the week before. That means approximately 1 in every 400 people in the county has tested positive for COVID-19.

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, 572 people in Chester County have died of COVID-19.