The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported one new case of COVID-19 in Potter County on Saturday.
The case count in other local counties is holding steady at 20 in McKean, 29 in Elk and 4 in Cameron, according to the DOH.
Sunday’s case count was not available by press time, as the department’s COVID-19 data site was not being updated due to maintenance. The newest data is expected to be available at noon today.
Statewide, the department reported 813 new positive cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 94,689. The new cases included 215 overnight in Allegheny County and 105 overnight in Philadelphia County.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine reported on Sunday that she sent an alert last week to health care providers warning of a change in the disease’s demographics. An increasing large number of younger people are testing positive.
There are now more cases in people in younger age groups than in the groups of 50- to 64-year-olds and in 65+.
Between April and July, the percentage of cases that were in 19- to 24-year-olds increased from nearly 7% to more than 12% in the northwest region in the state. In the northcentral region, that percentage has increased from nearly 8% to about 12%.
“The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is seeing increasing numbers of cases of COVID-19 that are not part of a known outbreak,” the alert states. “Specifically, these cases have been associated with travel to other affected parts of the country and social gatherings or social settings (e.g., parties, restaurants, bars).”
Levine warned that while the most serious outcomes tend to be in people with certain comorbidities, “Studies from China suggest that patients with COVID-19 with no reported underlying medical conditions had an overall case fatality of 0.9%.”
She provided tips for patients who are being evaluated for the disease, too. Those patients should isolate while they wait for test results, and they should make a list of people with whom they were within six feet of for a period of 15 minutes or more. That list should include contacts from a period of 48 hours before the onset of symptoms, or, for asymptomatic people, 48 hours before exposure time (if they know if) or the test date.
Those who are self-isolating should stay at home. If they live with others, they should stay in a private room and, if possible, use a private bathroom. The individuals should wear a mask when going into the general living areas.
Mask-wearing is required in all businesses in Pennsylvania and anytime people leave home.
