COVID-19 Metrics In Chesco Continue Steady Drop, Incidence Rate Falls Below 100

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — All COVID-19 metrics for Chester County declined in the past week's measure, except for a slight uptick in ER visits for COVID-like symptoms, the PA Department of Health reported Friday.

In the week-to-week measures reported by DOH, new COVID-19 cases in Chester County fell by 119. In the week ended Oct. 22 Chesco saw 560 new cases, and in the week ended Oct. 26, 441 new cases were reported.

New COVID-19 cases had fallen by 82 in the 7 days between Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, so this week's drop was greater than last week's.

Chester County this week dropped out of the CDC's High Transmission Risk category for incidence rate. The incidence rate for Chesco showed a similar solid slope downward as new cases, falling from 106.7 in the week ended Oct. 22 to 84.0 per 100,000 residents in the week ended Oct. 29. That week-by-week drop shows steady decline. The incidence rate for COVID-19 had been reported 120.4 in the week ended Oct. 15.

An incidence rate of 100 is the CDC's line set between High Transmission risk — over 100 per 100,000 — and Substantial Transmission risk, which is between 50 and 99.9 new cases in a week per 100,000 residents.

The percent positivity rate for COVID-19 tests given in Chester County also fell steadily over the past three weeks. In the week ended Oct. 15 it had been 6.3 percent, on Oct. 22 it was 6.1 percent and for the week ended Oct. 29, it was 5.6 percent in the DOH report.

Average daily hospitalizations were down by 2.1 compared to last week. In the week ended Oct. 15, 36.7 had been hospitalized for COVID-19 in Chester County each day. In the week ended Oct. 22, 43.7 persons, on average, were hospitalized each day and in the week ended Oct. 29 that daily average was 41.6, according to the Department of Health.

Fewer patients were on ventilators each day across the County this week, in a steady decline. In the week ended Oct. 15, 5.0 patients were on ventilators daily, on average, in Chester County hospitals. For the week ended Oct. 22, that daily average was 5.7 patients on ventilators. In the week ended Oct. 29, 4.6 patients were on ventilators each day, in the DOH report.

The sole metric reported going up at all was Emergency Room visits due to COVID-like illness (CLI). This measures those ER visits as a percentage of all ER visits. In the week ended Oct. 22, 1.3 percent of Chester County ER visits were for COVID-like illness, and in the week ended Oct. 29, 1.6 percent of ER visits were for CLI, across the County.

Statewide, COVID-19 cases were down by 2,036 for the week ended Oct. 29, after having dropped by 3,813 in the prior week.

There were 22,460 new COVID-19 cases across Pennsylvania in the week ended Oct. 29, according to the Department of Health.

The statewide incidence rate per 100,000 residents fell from 175.4 in the week ended Oct. 22 to 159.5 per 100,000 residents in the week ended Oct. 29.

The Chester County Health Department continues its effort to vaccinate against COVID-19 and also the flu, as the season begins. The Health Department's clinic operates at the Chester County Government Services Center, 601 Westtown Road, in West Chester. It distributes, Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. It's open Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Wednesdays from noon to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Get more information here.

Flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics around Chesco this week are listed below. Booster COVID-19 shots are available. Clicking on the location links to a registration page.

KENNETT MIDDLE SCHOOL 195 Sunny Dell Road, Landenberg
Nov. 4, 3-6:30 p.m.
KENNETT AREA YMCA 101 Race St., Kennett Square
Nov. 8, 4-7 p.m.

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