COVID Counts Climbed In Chester County Last Week

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Positive cases, incidence and positivity rates for Chester County are all three up over the most recently measured seven-day period.

Chester County's COVID-19 positivity rate is nearing twice the state rate and its numbers do not compare well with nearby counties. COVID-19 metrics here crept up in the last week, and are up markedly compared with neighboring counties, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Newly reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 are up from 213 to 372 in the past seven-day period measured, that being from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10, compared to the previous seven-day period.

Across Pennyslvania, confirmed COVID cases were down by 490 the week of Sept. 4-10, compared to the previous seven days.

The incidence rate of cases per 100,000 residents rose in Chester County from 40.8 to 70.1 in the past seven-day period.

The Chester County Health Department said that two of the key factors leading to the increase in Chester County’s positive COVID-19 numbers are that we are starting to see the effects of the Labor Day weekend. Another factor influencing the numbers is large group gatherings where social distancing and masking are not being observed, the county health department said Thursday.

The statewide incidence rate for the same period is 39.1. Neighboring Delaware County saw an incidence rate of 48.9, while their confirmed positive case count dropped by 26 in the seven-day period. Montgomery County's incidence rate is 37.2 per 100,000 over this same period, and Montco's positive case count was down by 5.

Philadelphia County's incidence rate is 32.8 per 100,000 residents, a number below the state as a whole, and new cases in Philadelphia County fell by 427 from the week prior Sept. 4-10.

The positivity rate gives a measure of positive COVID tests per the total number of tests given, which provides a clearer picture of the spread of the coronavirus than positive test numbers would without context. In Chester County, the positivity rate between Sept. 4-10 was 6.5 percent, up from 3.5 percent in the prior seven-day period. Delco's positivity rate is 4.4 percent in the most recent count, and Montgomery County's was 3.3 percent. Statewide positivity rate is 4.2 percent.

To Chester County's west, Lancaster County had an incidence rate of 50 per 100,000 residents, with a positivity rate nearer the state overall, at 4.6 percent. New cases were down by 48 in Lancaster County.

Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are down by 2 in Chester County, and persons requiring ventilators remained the same in the last seven-day period. Emergency department visits for COVID-like illness decreased slightly, from 1 percent to 0.7 percent.

The data show Chester County with one of the higher incidence rates, at 71.3 per 100,000 residents, but also with a surge in new positive cases, which were up by 159. Most of the few other counties with high incidence rates did not also show a rapid rise in new confirmed cases.

Centre County, Pa., home of State College, is the exception; it leads the COVID-19 dashboard data, up 219 cases in the last week, with and incidence rate of 255.5 per 100,000 residents. The total number of cases there went from 197 to 416 in the last seven-day period.

Columbia County, home to Bloomsberg, Pa., showed a higher incidence rate at 82.5, than Chester County, but Columbia County's confirmed case counts dropped by 91 over the last measured week.

And likewise, one of the other counties showing a high incidence rate was Montour County, bordering Columbia County on the west. Montour County's 82.2 incidence rate is accompanied by a rise in new COVID cases of only 3 over the recent week measured.

Overall in Pennsylvania, 147,293 cases of COVID-19 are confirmed, 1,721, 275 tests have been given with negative results for COVID-19. The state says 82 percent of positive cases have recovered; this defined as a person who tested positive more than 30 days ago and who has not been reported as a death. The Pennsylvania Department of Health website containing more information can be found here.