2 PA Counties No Longer In COVID Red Zone: White House Task Force

HARRISBURG, PA — The White House Coronavirus Task Force has released its latest report for Pennsylvania, removing two counties from the "red zone."

The report, released Jan. 3 and made public by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, shows that Allegheny and Tioga counties are no longer in the coronavirus red zone, but have been downgraded to the orange zone. Sullivan County has been downgraded from red to the yellow zone. The remaining 64 Pennsylvania counties are in the red zone.

Red zones have more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents and a diagnostic test positivity result of above 10 percent. Counties in the orange zone reported between 51 and 100 new cases per 100,000 residents and a diagnostic test positivity result between 8 and 10 percent. Counties in the yellow zone have reported between 10 and 50 new cases per 100,000 residents and a diagnostic test positivity result between 5 and 7.9 percent.

The report provides several recommendations for the state, including on vaccination.

"Do not delay the rapid immunization of those over 65 and vulnerable to severe disease; recommend creation of high throughput vaccination sites with use of EMT personnel to monitor for potential anaphylaxis and fully utilize nursing students. No vaccines should be in freezers but should instead be put in arms now; active and aggressive immunization in the face of this surge would save lives," the report states.

It also states that local hospitals should be prepared for an increase in hospitalizations in mid to late January.

"Given possibility of increased transmission and transmissibility (from holiday activities and likelihood of circulating new virus strains), expand surveillance and genotypic testing to detect local emergence and increased incidence as early as possible; this may allow sufficient time to shift resources and expand capacity," another recommendation said.

The latest report notes the state is above the average national testing rate. Pennsylvania is at the yellow level for number of tests performed per 100,000 people for the previous week, the report said. The yellow level is 2,000 to 2,999 tests per 100,000 population.

You can view the full Jan. 3 report here.