[ad_1]
Press release, Public health
Governor Tom Wolf and Health Secretary Dr Rachel Levine today released a weekly update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the Alert Surveillance System Dashboard early COVID-19. Updates will be released every Monday starting today.
The update includes the following:
- Level of community transmission as the basis for recommendations for K-12 schools to determine teaching models.
- Cases that reported visit a company among the potential locations where exposures may have taken place.
- Updated travel recommendations.
The dashboard is designed to provide early warning signs of factors affecting the state’s mitigation efforts. Data available on the Early Warning Surveillance Dashboard includes week-to-week case differences, incidence rates, percent test positive, and rates of hospitalizations, ventilations and emergency room visits related to COVID-19. This week’s update compares the period August 14 to August 20 to the previous seven days, August 7 to August 13.
“Our percentage of positivity has decreased significantly this week, which is the fourth week in a row that the percentage of positivity has declined,” Governor Wolf said. “It’s proof that our actions are working, but we still have work to do. The virus continues to circulate and we must continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings to keep our numbers low, stop the spread and allow more freedom.
As of Thursday, August 20, the state has registered a 7-day increase of 4,456 cases; the previous seven-day increase was 5,598, indicating a decrease of 1,142 cases across the state over the past week.
The statewide positivity percentage fell to 3.4% from 4.0% last week. Counties with a worrying positive percentage include Perry (9.1%), Huntingdon (7.8%), Northumberland (7.3%), Indiana (7.1%), Union (5.9%), Susquehanna (5.7%), York (5.5%), Beaver (5.3%) and Blair (5.0%). Each of these counties is worth watching as the state continues to monitor all available data.
Community transmission
According to data on Friday, Union County was the only county at the substantial level with several known sources of outbreaks fueling community transmission. The education and health departments will meet with representatives from Union County school districts to discuss the implications of this level of transmission.
For the week ending August 20, 21 counties were in low transmission, 45 counties in moderate, one with substantial transmission:
- Low – Bedford, Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Jefferson, Juniata, McKean, Pike, Potter, Somerset, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, Warren, Wayne, Wyoming
- Moderate – Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Center, Chester, Clearfield, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Liban, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Snyder, Susquehanna, Washington, Westmoreland, York
- Substantial – Union
Business visits
The Department of Health provides weekly data on the number of people who responded to case investigators that they have spent time in commercial establishments (restaurants, bars, gyms / fitness centers, barber shops / salons hairdressing) and at mass gatherings 14 days before the onset of symptoms of covid19.
Of the 5,649 confirmed cases reported between August 9 and August 15, 45 percent (2,541) answered the question whether they spent time in a commercial establishment.
Of those who responded, 13 percent, or 320, said yes, they visited a business establishment 14 days before symptoms appeared:
- 50 percent (159) of those who said yes said they had eaten out;
- 23 percent (75) of those who said yes said they had been to another business establishment;
- 17 percent (55) of those who said yes said they had gone to a bar;
- 8 percent (26) of those who said yes reported going to a gym / fitness center; and
- 12 percent (38) of those who said yes said they had visited a salon / hair salon.
Of the 5,649 confirmed cases, 48 percent (2,710) answered whether they had attended a mass rally or other big event. Of the 48 percent, almost 12 percent (326) said yes to whether they had attended a mass rally or other big event 14 days before symptoms appeared.
Compared to data released on August 14, this week’s data showed an increase in the number of people who reported visiting a restaurant (50% vs. 47%), people who said they went to another business (23% vs. 19%). ) and people going to a salon / hairdressing salon (12 percent vs. 9 percent). Numbers are down for this week’s data for going to a bar (17% vs. 24%), going to a gym / fitness center (8% vs. 10%). The number of those who attended a mass rally or other big event remained the same (almost 12 percent).
Notes from case investigators included frequent mentions of bar and restaurant visits among positive cases. To better understand this emerging trend, on July 13, contact tracers began asking more specific questions about the types of businesses visited and whether individuals were attending a mass gathering, defined as more than 250 people in attendance. ‘outside or more than 25 inside.
The above figures highlight commercial settings and mass gatherings as possible sites of transmission. With less than half of those asked about the types of businesses they’ve visited or whether they attended a mass rally to answer the question, the ministry reminds Pennsylvanians that it’s critical that people answer the question. telephone when investigators call and provide complete and complete information. information to these clinical professionals.
Travel recommendations
Also today, the Department of Health updated its travel recommendations, originally announced on July 2, to remove Arizona from the list of recommended states for domestic travelers returning from quarantine for 14 days to their back to Pennsylvania. No new state has been added.
It is important for people to understand that this recommendation is in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. A worrying number of recent cases have been linked to travel, and if people are to travel we need them to take action to protect themselves, their loved ones and their community, which involves quarantine.
Governor Wolf continues to prioritize the health and safety of all Pennsylvanians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pennsylvanians should continue to take action to prevent the spread of COVID-19, regardless of the county in which they live. This includes wearing a mask or face mask whenever they are in public. COVID-19 has been shown to spread easily in the air, and contagious carriers can be asymptomatic.
[ad_2]
Source link