While COVID-19 cases in Bucks County continued to spike for the second week in a row, the county’s low number of hospitalizations and deaths remained largely unaffected. The county Department of Health reported 465 additional infections from Oct. 25-31, an average of about 66 cases per day, or a 22 percent increase over the previous week.
It was the largest seven-day case total since the first week in May, when new infections averaged 85 per day. That week in May, 71 Bucks County deaths were reported and 195 residents hospitalized with COVID, 20 of them on ventilators. By comparison, one resident death was reported last week, while 12 were hospitalized as of Saturday, two of them in critical condition and on ventilators.
“Even though our cases have doubled over the past two weeks, the overall numbers of seriously ill people have remained pretty much the same. That’s an excellent sign,” said Dr. David Damsker, director of the health department. “Another promising indicator is that, despite seeing some cases in teachers and students, reopened schools themselves are not contributing to levels of community spread.”
The spike in local cases was in sync with pronounced increases across Pennsylvania and the nation. On Friday, the United States reported 99,321 new cases – not only a record for the nation, but also for any nation on a single day during the pandemic. More than 1,000 deaths were reported Friday.
Pennsylvania exceeded 2,500 new cases for the first time on Friday, set a record seven-day average of almost 2,100 per day, and more than doubled last month’s daily average.
“Daily increases are now the highest they have ever been since the start of the pandemic,” said the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Still, improved techniques for treating patients, including the use of certain steroids and antiviral drugs, have been credited with sharply lowering the rate of serious cases and deaths. Statewide, the death rate has fallen from 12.2 per 100 cases in May to 1.4 deaths per 100 cases in October.
In that regard, Pennsylvania is in a “much better place than we were in the spring,” said Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, adding that the state is not considering dramatic shutdown measures such as those imposed in the spring.
In Bucks County, 27 cases reported last week were delayed reports no longer considered to be infectious. Of the 465 cases reported, 200 resulted from household spread and social gatherings with friends and family, 104 were attributed to community spread, 37 were infected at workplaces, 28 resulted from out-of-state travel, 18 are healthcare workers, 15 are residents or staff at long-term care facilities, and 63 were unable to be reached or to be fully interviewed.
Bucks County remains in the “moderate” level of transmission, as determined by the state.
Through Saturday, Bucks County has had 9,807 residents test positive for COVID-19 during the pandemic. A total of 536 deaths have been attributed to the virus, including 416 long-term care residents, while 8,620 are confirmed to have recovered.
The median age of those who have been infected in Bucks is 48, while the median age of death is 84.
Statistics, charts and other coronavirus-related information can be found on the county’s data portal. An interactive map showing numbers of active infections by municipality can be found here.
Additionally, the state Department of Health updated its travel recommendations to add Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Texas to the list of states recommended for domestic travelers returning from to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Pennsylvania.
