New COVID Cases Decrease By 36 Percent In Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — The rising vaccination rate and warmer weather appear to be squashing the latest surge of the virus in Montgomery County.

New cases saw more than 36 percent decrease in Montgomery County over the most recently tracked seven-day period, covering April 30 to May 6. The county saw 707 new cases in that time period, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, compared to 1,102 the week previous.

Additionally, the county's percent positivity rate on tests dropped from 6.8 percent to 5.6 percent, the lowest its been since late March when the fourth wave of the virus was still picking up. The wave appeared to crest around April 11, when county statistics show the positivity rate was near 11 percent.

"Across our county, we continue to see promising trends in the fight against COVID-19," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said last week. "We're making progress, but we're not out of the woods quite yet."

The incidence rate per 100,000 residents also fell from 135 to 85.

On the healthcare metric front, average daily hospitalizations due to COVID fell from 228 to 202, and the percent of emergency room visits due to coronavirus symptoms dropped from 0.6 to 0.5. The only coronavirus key metrics to increase in the county the past week was the average daily percentage of ventilators in use, which bumped up from 12 to 20 percent.

The county's improvements are in line with improvements made statewide, as Pennsylvania's overall percent positivity rate has also plummeted from 7.6 to 6.6 percent over the past week.

All of Montgomery County's vaccine clinics are now open for walk-up appointments, with no appointment necessary.