The state’s positive tests for COVID-19 have risen for the first time in three months, Tom Wolf’s office said Monday.
The positive rate rose to 6.5% for the week of March 12-18, compared to 5.7% the previous week. The rate fell for 12 consecutive weeks before stabilizing at 5.7% for two weeks.
To be sure, the rate of positive coronavirus tests remains well below the high of 16.2% in December. Health officials said a positive test score of more than 5% is a source of concern.
Across Pennsylvania, 25 of the state’s 67 counties are seeing a significant spread of the coronavirus. Last week, the Wolf administration said 21 counties show a high spread, so there are still four counties with a significant spread. The Wolf administration uses three categories to measure COVID-19 transmission: low, moderate, and significant.
Although the number of new infections has dropped significantly since the winter, the state has seen an increase in new cases in the past week, Wolf’s office said.
“The number of new cases has increased slightly, and so has the positive percentage across the country, which is still important,” Wolf said in a statement.
“As more and more Pennsylvanias are vaccinated, we must not forget to follow the mitigation measures that still exist,” Wolf said. “When the weather gets hot, please wear a mask, practice social distance and wash your hands regularly as the virus is still prevalent in our communities.”
In general, the number of provinces with a high transmission of the virus has been steadily declining in recent weeks. Most of December and January were significantly distributed in each province of the state.
Referring to the decline in the new COVID-19 cases, Wolf announced last week that he would start easing restrictions on restaurants and other businesses from April 4th.
Restaurants will be able to move to 75% of the people for indoor meals. Gyms and entertainment venues, including theaters, malls and casinos, could also rise to 75%. The governor also said indoor gatherings could move up to 25% of occupancy limits and outdoor events could increase up to 50% of capacity.
Take a closer look
Government officials encouraged school districts to evaluate the distribution of COVID-19 to determine whether students should be in school, remotely trained, or with a mixture of distance and face-to-face instruction. The majority of school districts offer at least one personal tuition, but some schools still work remotely.
Only five provinces see a low distribution of COVID-19. However, according to Wolf’s office, 37 provinces are experiencing moderate shipping.
Allegheny County, which ranks second in Pennsylvania population, is among those with moderate transmission. Some provinces in Central Pennsylvania, including Cumberland and Dauphin, also see moderate shipping. According to Wolf’s office, Philadelphia looks great.
Here is the complete breakdown of COVID-19 transmission levels in each country.
Low: Cameron, Forest, Fulton, Potter and Sullivan
Mild: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Chester, Clarion, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Perry, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland
Substantial: Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Center, Clearfield, Clinton, Franklin, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Lucerne, Lyoming, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, Wyoming and York
Vaccination of vaccines
Government officials say they are making progress in distributing the COVID-19 vaccines, an attempt that has received criticism for moving too slowly.
The governor said on Friday that the initiative to vaccinate teachers and school staff was ahead of schedule and should be completed by the end of the month. Teachers and school staff receive the first group of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, which require only one shot.
Police, firefighters, correctional officers, grocery store employees and food and agricultural workers will be next in line for the Johnson & Johnson vaccines, Wolf said. But it is not yet clear when the workers – who are in phase 1B – will be vaccinated.
Currently, the vaccination of the state is in the first phase: phase 1A. This phase included health workers, 65 years and older, and younger adults with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
More than 2.8 million people in the Commonwealth are at least partially vaccinated, and more than 1.5 million are vaccinated in full, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The state data does not include the city of Philadelphia handling its own vaccination effort.
The combination of city and state data has had more than 3.3 million people in Pennsylvania at least one shot and about 1.7 million have been fully vaccinated.
President Joe Biden has said he wants all adults nationwide to be eligible for a vaccine by May 1st. Wolf said the state can meet the timeline, but he warns many adults are likely to still have to wait for shots.
Overall, more than 988,000 people tested positive for the coronavirus, and nearly 25,000 deaths were linked to COVID-19, according to the Pennsylvania Health Department.
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