Health Officials Gathering COVID Info Say: Pick Up The Phone

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — It's hard to say with confidence if church services, dining, or gym workouts are where COVID-19 is spreading if people won't answer questions about where they went before they got sick.

The state's department of health wants to make accurate determinations about COVID-19 transmission but says the effort is challenged by a huge failure of those who test positive to answer phone calls from state investigators gathering the facts.

Meanwhile religious communities across Chester County have adjusted their mode of worship as public health officials call for staying home, striving to gather data on how public gatherings and buying habits are translating into coronavirus transmission.

Religious leaders statewide last week joined Gov. Tom Wolf in asking people to stay home from the usual religious gatherings this time of year, as the state's COVID-19 metrics grew worse. On Monday morning, every one of Pennsylvania's 67 counties was at "substantial risk" for transmission of the coronavirus and the statewide percent of COVID-19 tests was at 16 percent positivity.

Almost all churches, temples, and religious communities have altered their collective worship form since last spring. Many are streaming worship and other gatherings and most have established guidelines for their extended community that are followed locally.

The guidelines that last week called both for staying home from worship and that quashed indoor restaurant dining for at least three weeks are based, in part, on data the state collects in the contract tracing process. Where were those who this week tested positive for COVID-19, in the days before they had symptoms?

The Pennsylvania Department of Health analyses responses received by case investigators who ask where and how much time was spent at business establishments like restaurants, bars, gyms or fitness centers, salons or barbershops, as well as at mass gatherings, for 14 days prior to the onset of their COVID-19 symptoms.

The DOH said today in a news release it has been prioritizing case investigations in order to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. The DOH explained its accuracy depends upon people responding to the calls from case investigators. The case count is significant and the more who provide data, the more accurate conclusions will be about how the virus is spreading, the department said in a Monday news release.

In each of the past two weeks, only 4.4 percent of those who'd had a confirmed case of COVID-19 provided an answer to the question of whether they spent time at a business establishment or large gathering.

Pennsylvania had 62,693 confirmed cases reported between Nov. 29 and Dec. 5.

As of Monday morning, Chester County has had 15,248 cases, with another 857 probable cases, according to state health department counts. There have been 436 deaths in Chester County from COVID-19, at a rate of 83 deaths per 100,000 county residents.

Nailing down the means of viral spread is challenging. Of the respondents who answered yes, saying they had visited a business in the two weeks before they had COVID-19 symptoms:

• 50 percent reported going to a restaurant;
• 25 percent reported going to some other business establishment;
• 16 percent reported going to a gym/fitness center;
• 8 percent reported going to a bar; and
• 5 percent reported going to a salon/barbershop.

In a separate question about whether the respondent had attended a "mass gathering" in the 14 days before they showed symptoms of COVID-19, 10 percent of those who answered the question said yes, they had.

The numbers above highlight business settings and mass gatherings as possible sites for transmission. But, with few people responding when asked about what types of businesses they visited or if they attended a mass gathering, the department of health is reminding Pennsylvanians that it is essential that people answer the phone when case investigators call. The department's clinical professionals need full and complete information, the department of health said today.

The reluctance to respond to questions about COVID-19 is not limited to state case investigators. Patch reached out to more than a dozen local churches and religious congregations last week to find out how they are functioning in the pandemic, but very few responded.

Jewish congregations have made adjustments. Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyn said the congregation has set a policy of permitting only outdoor life cycle services, with a maximum of 35 people allowed. It uses Zoom and Facebook Live for its services but said each community makes its own policy.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia covers five counties and its Office for Divine Worship has issued liturgical guidelines that are very specific. It said there is a long list of parishes in the Archdiocese that livestream daily and Sunday Masses.

Catholics are "strongly encouraged" to wear masks during Mass. Those who attend in person are asked to observe social distance. The Sign of Peace that often entails handshaking during worship has been omitted and congregations are asked not to hold hands while praying the Our Father.

Those streaming the Mass at home who cannot receive Holy Communion in person have a prayer created to help them "unite yourself spiritually with the Lord."