Last week’s count of new COVID-19 infections remained identical to that of the previous week. Bucks County added 241 cases to its total, a daily average of about 34.
No new COVID deaths were reported from Sept. 20-26, and the week ended with 14 county residents hospitalized with the coronavirus, two of them in critical condition and on ventilators. Household transmission of the virus continued to account for the largest share of new infections, about 44 percent of last week’s cases.
“We are seeing every day now that our younger and healthier populations are not getting seriously ill from this virus, which is terrific news,” said Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department. “However, we have to maintain a strong focus on limiting transmission to our senior citizens and others with high-risk medical conditions.
“Don’t go to work sick, don’t go to a party sick, and think about how your actions can impact others’ health, even if you aren’t worried about yourself.”
Bucks County remains in a group of 47 Pennsylvania counties, including all of Southeast Pennsylvania, in having what the state considers a “moderate” level of transmission.
As of Thursday, Sept. 24, the state saw a seven-day increase of 5,070; the previous seven-day increase was 5,551, indicating a 481-case decrease across the state over the past week. The statewide percent-positivity went down to 3.2 percent from 3.7 percent last week.
“Our percent-positivity and incidence rate for the commonwealth both decreased this week, a testament to all the work Pennsylvanians are doing to unite against this virus,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “We must continue our focus on taking actions to protect ourselves and others, such as wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing our hands and avoiding large gatherings. Together, Pennsylvanians can be united to work to prevent the spread of the virus.”
The Department of Health updated its travel recommendations to add Kentucky, Texas and Utah, and remove Louisiana from the list of states recommended for domestic travelers returning from to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania.
