Pennsylvania has reported an unusually high number of positive COVID-19 cases in Schuylkill County lately. And on Monday, we learned that Schuylkill County has the 6th highest percent-positivity rate in all of Pennsylvania.
Percent-positivity measures the number of positive COVID-19 test results against the total number of tests taken. Pennsylvania’s Dept. of Health is using this metric to determine the community spread of the virus.
Schuylkill County Has 6th Highest COVID Positive Rate in Pennsylvania
In updated data from the Dept. of Health, Schuylkill County’s percent-positivity rate is 18.9%. Just 5 Pennsylvania counties have a higher rate:
- Juniata (27.1%)
- Mifflin (22.7%)
- Bedford (22.3%)
- Somerset (22.3%)
- Tioga (21.3%)
Pennsylvania, as a whole, has an 11.7% positivity rate. Anything over 5% raises the alarm of state health officials. Currently, just 1 county has a rate lower than 5% (Forest, 3.6%).
While the state puts a lot of emphasis on this particular metric, it should be noted that while the rate is relatively high, that could just mean people who aren’t infected aren’t getting tested. Or, people are just being pickier about when they’re getting tested.
Other data released Monday by the Health Dept. for Schuylkill County shows:
- There were 175 more positive COVID-19 cases reported in the last week (644) than the week prior (469). That’s the 8th highest jump in total number of cases reported week over week.
- An average of 1 more Schuylkill County resident is placed on a ventilator daily due to COVID-19 complications this past week (1.4/day) compared to the week prior (0.4).
- There was on average, 38.4 Schuylkill County residents in the hospital daily over the past 7 days. That’s nearly 9 more than the previous 7 days. Right now, there are 35 locals hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms, 8 of those are in the ICU. No one is on a ventilator.
Per statistics updated Monday by the Dept. of Health, 3,877 Schuylkill County residents have been confirmed as COVID-19 positive since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March. Another 249 cases have been identified as probable.
More than 29,000 residents have tested negatively since the beginning of the pandemic.
A total of 174 Schuylkill County residents have died of COVID-19, the state reports.
ALSO READ:
- 7 Schuylkill County School Districts Going Virtual Out of Thanksgiving Break
- Pennsylvania Using Wireless Emergency Alert System for COVID Alerts
- Finally, Schuylkill County Delivers CARES Act Money – Here’s Who Got a Grant
Subscribe to Coal Region Canary
Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!Support Coal Region Canary
Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...