Montgomery County Out Of COVID 'Red' Zone: White House Report

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — As work to suppress coronavirus in Montgomery County continues to show positive results, the federal government has taken steps to recognize that progress.

Montgomery County is among several states that were recently downgraded out of the "red zone" into the "orange zone" of coronavirus outbreak severity, as determined in a report by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

While moving into the new category does not herald any specific changes to day to day life in the county — the report is used by federal officials to inform policy and to gain a snapshot of trends in local and regional health — it does indicate positive news for the region.

Montgomery was joined by Philadelphia, Delaware, and Chester counties in being downgraded to orange in the Jan. 24 report. All told, it classifies 40 of the state's 67 counties as being in the red zone. There are 17 counties in the orange zone and 10 in the yellow zone.

RELATED: COVID Positivity Rate Drops Below 9% In Montco: See Latest Data

In order to fall to orange, Montgomery County had to see less than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents, and a percent positivity rate below 10 percent.

Both of these metrics are among key statistics that have fallen in the county this month. The county's latest positivity rate on tests is 8.8 percent, with healthcare metrics like hospitalization rate also improving.

To fall from orange to yellow, counties must have reported between 10 and 50 new cases per 100,000 residents and a diagnostic test positivity result between 5 and 7.9 percent.

Under the Trump administration, these reports were not made public by the task force. Instead, they were obtained by The Center for Public Integrity.

See the full Jan. 24 report here.

With reporting from Patch correspondent Kara Seymour