'Community Spread Risk' Changes For 7 PA Counties

HARRISBURG, PA — The level of risk of community spread of coronavirus has changed for seven Pennsylvania counties, according to data shared by state health officials this week. The risk is elevated in six counties and has decreased in one.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health recently began providing the information on the likelihood of getting coronavirus through community transmission by county. Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected, the Centers for Disease Control explains.

The Department of Education is using the data as guidance for how schools should handle their fall starts, as well as how to handle new coronavirus cases within a school community once they reopen.

Counties are rated as having either low, moderate or substantial transmission risks.

• Counties with low risk have had less than 10 cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a less than 5 percent positivity rate over seven days.
• The moderate designation means the county has had anywhere from 10 to less than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a 5-10 percent positivity rate over seven days.
• Those designated as having substantial risk have had more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days or a percent positivity rate above 10 percent over seven days.

For the week ending in Aug. 14, which is the most recent data available and was released Tuesday, five counties have been moved from "low" risk to "moderate." One county — Fayette— has shifted from "moderate" to "substantial." One county has moved from "moderate" to "low." (See full list below)

The state Department of Education recommends a fully remote education model in counties that have substantial risk of community spread. Two Pennsylvania counties are now listed under that category.

For counties in the moderate designation, fully remote school or a blend of remote and in-person learning is recommended.

In counties with a low transmission risk, the state recommends either a fully in-person model or some blended learning.

The risk of community transmission in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties is currently moderate, according to state data. There are currently 44 counties designated by state health officials as having a moderate community transmission risk.

"While a county's corresponding threshold may change week by week, DOH and PDE recommend that schools consider changing instructional models only after observing two consecutive weeks of the same designation," the health and education departments said in a joint statement. "For example, a school offering a blended/hybrid model in a county identified as 'moderate' might consider transitioning to a fully in-person model if the county moves to 'low' for two consecutive weeks."

Here is the current level of community spread by county:

SUBSTANTIAL

• Fayette (elevated from moderate)
• Union

MODERATE

• Adams
• Allegheny
• Armstrong
• Beaver
• Bedford
• Berks
• Blair
• Bucks
• Butler
• Cambria
• Carbon
• Chester
• Centre (elevated from low)
• Clearfield
• Clinton (elevated from low)
• Columbia
• Crawford
• Cumberland
• Dauphin
• Delaware
• Erie
• Franklin
• Greene (elevated from low)
• Huntingdon
• Indiana
• Lackawanna
• Lancaster
• Lawrence
• Lebanon
• Lehigh
• Luzerne
• Lycoming
• Mercer
• Monroe
• Montgomery
• Northampton
• Northumberland
• Philadelphia
• Schuylkill
• Snyder (elevated from low)
• Somerset (elevated from low)
• Washington
• Westmoreland
• York

LOW

• Bradford
• Cameron
• Clarion
• Clinton
• Elk
• Forest
• Fulton
• Jefferson
• Juniata
• McKean
• Mifflin (downgraded from moderate)
• Montour
• Perry
• Pike
• Potter
• Sullivan
• Susquehanna
• Tioga
• Venango
• Warren
• Wayne
• Wyoming