Virus Positivity Rate Drops Below 10% In Bucks: See Latest Data

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — New COVID-19 infections in Bucks County dropped for the second week in a row last week, even as the county's death toll since the beginning of the pandemic topped 1,000.

Meanwhile, county officials say they are "working diligently" to secure more doses of the coronavirus vaccines for the thousands of people who are now eligible for the shots, but haven't been able to get one.

Last week, there were 1,730 new cases of the coronavirus in Bucks County, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. That's an 18-percent decrease from the previous week and an average of 246 per day — Bucks County's lowest rate since Nov. 13.

New COVID cases had dropped 22 percent the previous week in Bucks County.

The county's test positivity rate also dropped below 10 percent last week, hitting 9.2. That's down from 12.6 percent the week before and a significant drop from the county-high 17.7 percent that came in early December as part of the post-Thanksgiving surge.

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Health officials say a rate of 5 percent or lower is a sign that the virus is largely under control.

"Cases and hospitalizations are declining to levels we haven’t seen in a couple of months and our positivity rate has dropped below 10 percent this week," said Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department. "These trends are very good and, if everyone does their part, they will continue in the same direction."

A total of 136 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in Bucks County as of Sunday, with 33 of them in intensive care and 18 on ventilators. Officials said 23 percent of the county's adult ICU beds and 27 percent of adult medical surgical beds remained available at week's end.

With a total of 78 coronavirus-related deaths so far in January, the county has now hit 1,010 deaths since the pandemic began.

"As a county, we share collective grief for those lost and their loved ones," said Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, chairwoman of the Buck County Board of Commissioners. "It is now our duty to remember them by taking all the steps necessary to prevent and halt this suffering."

Commission Vice-Chairman Bob Harvie urged residents to keep up their safety efforts, even as officials work to get coronavirus vaccines to as many people as possible.

"Now that vaccines have been developed, there are many who feel the crisis is over, but we have to keep following the science and the protocols," Harvie said. "We need to keep protecting the most vulnerable around us."

In Bucks County, there have been 38,025 cases of COVID-19 reported since the pandemic began, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Meanwhile, county officials say they are "working diligently" to get more vaccine and plan the county's locations and staffing for vaccine clinics.

Last week, Pennsylvania health officials dramatically increased the number of people eligible for vaccines during the initial phase of the state's vaccination plan. Originally reserved for healthcare workers and residents and staffers at nursing homes, Phase 1A now is open to everyone 65 and older, anyone 16 or older with serious medical conditions, EMS workers and others.

The changes, announced last Tuesday, made about 3.5 million more Pennsylvanians immediately eligible for a vaccine.

Bucks County residents may register to receive a vaccination when they become available. About 150,000 residents and businesses already have registered, according to officials. Those who have registered will get an email from the Bucks County Health Department with further information and instructions.

But the amount of vaccine being sent to counties remains limited.

According to state reports, more than 56,000 doses of the vaccines have been distributed to 18 different providers in Bucks County. The largest amount of that has gone to hospitals, which have primarily been tasked with vaccinating their own employees.

So far, 17,948 people have been given the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine in Bucks County, while 5,770 have gotten both doses, according to the county.

Officials say the Bucks County Health Department has gotten just under 4,000 doses of the vaccine from the state.

The county is operating an appointment-only clinic in Langhorne where vaccinations are being given to EMS workers and other healthcare providers not affiliated with a hospital. More than 1,800 doses were administered last week, after 1,500 doses being administered there the week before.

Through the end of the month, Bucks County plans to continue running three free COVID-19 testing sites on Bucks County Community College campuses. The sites can test up to 350 people per day at each location, with results expected in 48-72 hours.

Vaccinations are not being given at those sites, but county officials say they plan to convert them to vaccination sites next month.

Across Pennsylvania, more than 425,000 partial vaccinations and 108,000 full vaccinations have been given outside of Philadelphia, which has its own reporting system.