Bucks, Montco seeing increases as Pa. COVID cases continue to spike

As the number of COVID cases continues to rise statewide, Pennsylvanians are being encouraged to reconsider small gatherings with friends and family. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 1,407 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday and another 2,751 cases Tuesday, the 22nd consecutive day where Pennsylvania has had at least 1,000 new cases of COVID-19.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine on Monday called the increase in positive cases and a sharp increase in hospitalizations "concerning" and encouraged social distancing and avoiding small and large gatherings. 

"As we approach the holidays, we need to rethink those gatherings and think about more and more gatherings being virtual or only staying with your family that you live with that you're exposed to all the time," Levine said during a press briefing. "I think that it's a sacrifice, but I think that sacrifice can mean that people don't get sick in your family and your community and it would be worth it."

The department announced a two-day increase in cases of 3,073 Monday and again compared the rate of infection to what Pennsylvania dealt with in April. That uptick is alarming state health officials. Levine reiterated the importance of mitigation strategies, as she has since March. 

"I cannot underscore how important they are: we need people to wear a mask properly over their nose and mouth each time they go into public," Levine said. "It is essential that people social distance and avoid large gatherings. And also, small gatherings of people, even people who are part of their social circle because we have seen an increasing number of cases linked to small gatherings of people who may even be familiar with each other, but they're not masking, they're not washing their hands, they're not social distancing."

Bucks County has seen about 383 new cases between Oct. 18 and Oct. 24, with nearly half of those cases attributed to spread from social gatherings and interactions with friends and family.

The increase bumps the county's daily average of new cases over a 7-day period from the mid 30s earlier this month and in September to the mid 50s, a county news release from Monday states.

Hospitalizations remain relatively low, with an estimated 14 patients in the hospital as of Monday, two in critical condition and on ventilators, the release adds.

All but nine of the 54 municipalities in Bucks County currently have no active cases, according to the county's coronavirus information website through www.buckscounty.org.

Nine towns, mostly in the upper portion of the county, have no active cases, while 30 communities have 10 or fewer active cases.

Bensalem and Bristol townships are the only municipalities with more than 50 active cases.

Over 9,445 people have contracted the coronavirus in Bucks County since March, with an estimated 8,350 recoveries and 535 deaths in total.

Montgomery County towns are seeing much higher active cases than neighboring Bucks County as of Tuesday afternoon.

Almost 520 new cases have been reported across the county in the last seven days, bringing the total case count since March to 13,442 people.

Each of the county's 62 municipalities have active cases, half of them reporting over 100 active cases on the county's COVID-19 website.

Abington has the third highest active case totals in the county, at over 880 current cases, just under Lower Merion's 914 cases and Norristown's 1,223 active cases.

Deaths in Bucks and Montgomery counties have not seen the same spike as new cases have.

One new death in Bucks County was reported last week and Montgomery County's website shows eight new deaths reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 27, totaling 838 deaths as of Tuesday.  

Levine acknowledged Monday that while there is a substantial number of people hospitalized with the virus compared to a week ago — 1,104 Monday morning compared to 841 the previous Monday — doctors know how to treat the virus better than they did in April, when there were more than 3,000 people hospitalized statewide. 

"We have improved therapeutics and treatments," Levine said. "I think that patients are sick, but our medical care is much better."

Despite the promise of treatments like remdesivir, an antiviral medication used in 50 countries worldwide for emergency treatment of COVID-19, and dexamethasone, a steroid medication that has been used for decades but has been found to decrease the inflammation caused by the virus, Pennsylvanians shouldn't give up on public health responses.

In addition to therapeutic treatments, the state is continuing to expand testing and focus on targeted mitigation, such as social distancing, mask-wearing and restricting indoor and outdoor gatherings. 

Herd immunity is not the answer, she reiterated. 

"We need to use all the tools in our toolbox in order to work to control the spread of COVID-19," Levine said. "We cannot rely upon any strategy that relies — that depends upon — quote-unquote 'herd immunity.' Really, all public health officials — local officials, state officials and federal officials — do not agree with that strategy that basically means letting it burn. That is not a good public health strategy to follow."