Coronavirus Cases Up 41 Percent Recently In Bucks County: CDC

LEVITTOWN, PA — Coronavirus cases continue to climb nationally as many parts of the country enter respiratory virus season. The country is expected to surpass the grim milestone of 800,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the coming days.

Nationally, nearly 118,000 cases were reported daily as of Dec. 10, compared with about 86,300 daily cases around the beginning of the month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Bucks County had a "high" level of coronavirus transmission as of Dec. 13, according to the CDC. There were 398.4 new cases per 100,000 residents between Dec. 6-12.

The positive test rate was 10.7 percent between Dec. 4-10, which was a 0.7 percentage point increase from the previous seven days.

There were 2,503 recorded cases in Bucks County between Dec. 6-12, which is 41 percent higher than the previous seven days.

Many questions remain about the omicron coronavirus variant detected in about 30 states, but at the moment the increase in cases is being driven by the delta variant, according to the CDC.

The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in public if they live in an area with “substantial” or “high” transmission levels. Those who aren't fully vaccinated are urged to wear masks in those settings, regardless of transmission level.

Transmission levels are determined either by new cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days or the percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive; the transmission level is whichever category is the highest. Around 69 percent of U.S. counties are in the "high" transmission level and 14 percent are "substantial," according to the CDC.

Thresholds

New cases per 100,000 in past seven days

• Low: 0-9.99
• Moderate: 10-49.99
• Substantial: 50-99.99
• High: >100

Positive test rate

• Low: <5
• Moderate: 5-7.99
• Substantial: 8-9.99
• High: >10

The CDC also recommends indoor public mask use for people with compromised immune systems or other high-risk factors, regardless of vaccination status. People who live with someone at higher risk for coronavirus complications should also consider using a mask.

Editor’s note: This post was automatically generated using data from the CDC. State and local health department data may differ from CDC figures due to different calculation methods. Feedback can be sent to [email protected].