'Progress' As PA COVID Positivity Rate Lowest In 2 Months: Wolf

PENNSYLVANIA — While millions across the state wait for the coronavirus vaccine and officials continue to say that doses are in short supply, there is still some good news: metrics from the fall and winter surge of the virus are continuing their steady drop.

Pennsylvania's positivity rate on all COVID-19 tests has fallen once again over the past week down to 10.5 percent, a 2.3 point drop from the week before and a 4.1 drop from two weeks ago. It's the lowest the mark has been since late November.

Moreover, many counties across the state are getting close to dipping below the "substantial" transmission threshold, which is set at an incidence rate of more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents, or a positivity rate below 10 percent. One county (Cameron) has already moved into the low level of transmission category, but the rest do still remain in the substantial group.

The data from the Department of Health's Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard shows improvements in all six key metrics tracked by state officials, covering the period from Jan. 15 to Jan. 21.

Gov. Wolf called the latest statistics "a great sign of progress."

"But there is still more work for us to do and we must not become complacent," Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement Tuesday. "I believe we can keep up these best public health practices to continue to bring the transmission of COVID-19 down in our communities, keep each other safe, and move forward with rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine."

The total number of new cases recorded over the most recent seven-day period also saw a sharp decline, with a nearly 12,000-case drop of 41,331 to 31,140, officials said. The incidence rate per 100,000 residents plummeted similarly, from 322 to 243.

Meanwhile, all three healthcare metrics saw improvements, though not quite as dramatically as the general population metrics. The average daily number of hospitalizations fell from 5,154 to 4,859. The average daily number of patients on ventilators is down from 632 to 559, and the percentage of emergency room visits due to coronavirus symptoms fell from 0.9 to 0.8 percent.

With vaccine on the way and warmer months coming soon, officials are optimistic that the worst is past, but continue to urge residents to take basic, important precautions.

"While we continue these efforts (to mitigate the virus), we need residents to wear a mask, social distance, avoid gatherings and do the right thing to stop the spread,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said.