North Penn Area COVID-19 Cases Up to 24, Montco Up to 404 Cases and Five Deaths

North Penn Now Staff•

Montgomery County officials announced nearly three dozen new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, with four of them occurring in the North Penn area and several more reported in the neighboring municipalities.

According to updated data released by Montgomery County officials on Saturday afternoon, a total of 33 new positive tests for the COVID-19 coronavirus have been reported since Friday, bringing the current county-wide total to 404. Hardest hit areas continue to be Lower Merion Township with 71 cases, Abington Township with 32 cases and two deaths, Lower Providence with 28 cases and Cheltenham Township with 29 cases and one death.

In the North Penn area, there are a total of 24 positive cases being reported, with eight in Montgomery Township, four in Towamencin Township, five in Upper Gwynedd Township, four in Lansdale Borough and three in Hatfield Township.

At this point, the only municipalities in the North Penn area without a positive case are North Wales Borough and Hatfield Borough.

In the neighboring communities, there are 51 active cases, including the first positive case in Franconia Township. They are as follows:

Four positive cases in Lower Salford Township
Six positive cases in Skippack Township
10 positive cases in Worcester Township
10 positive cases in Whitpain Township
Nine positive cases in Lower Gwynedd Township
Eight positive cases in Horsham Township
Three active cases in Souderton Borough
One active case in Franconia Township

In total, 399 of the county-wide cases remain active, and five deaths have been reported.

“While most people with COVID-19 exhibit mild or moderate symptoms, this loss of life underscores the urgent need for everyone to stay at home, unless absolutely necessary, to protect individuals who are particularly vulnerable to developing more serious illness, including the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, as well as our critical workforces like healthcare workers and first responders,” said Valerie Arkoosh, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

Earlier on Saturday, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said that as of 12:01 a.m., Pennsylvania had seen an increase of 533 new positive cases, bringing the statewide total to 2,751 positive cases across 50 counties in the commonwealth.

Levine said that since March 6, roughly 11.5-percent of positive cases in Pennsylvania required hospitalization, with 97 patients requiring treatment in an intensive care unit and 56 requiring ventilators.

To date, 34 Pennsylvania residents have died due to the coronavirus. In total, 25,254 Pennsylvania residents have tested negative for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

In response to a question regarding a flattening of positive cases across the state in recent days—560 on Thursday, 531 on Friday and 533 on Saturday—Levine said that officials are monitoring to see if it becomes a plateau, but it’s too early to draw any conclusions.

“We are watching the data very carefully to see if this is a consistent trend,” Levine said. “It’s too early to draw conclusions at this time, but we will be taking it day by day as we examine the data.”

Community Testing Site Relaxes Criteria for Testing

For residents seeking testing for the COVID-19 coronavirus, the criteria for testing has been adjusted. They will now test the following:

Persons of any age and with symptoms of sudden illness, such as fever or cough or shortness of breath or loss of smell/taste including gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea OR vomiting OR diarrhea, with or without fever
First responders (law enforcement, fire, EMS, or dispatcher) and concern regarding exposure to a patient with suspected COVID-19 OR symptoms of any sudden illness with or without fever
Healthcare workers providing direct patient care and concern regarding exposure to a patient with suspected COVID-19 or symptoms of any sudden illness with or without fever
Anyone with known or suspected direct contact to someone with COVID-19
Anyone who has been recommended by their doctor to get tested

Testing will be performed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and can be scheduled via appointment only. Appointments can be made online by clicking here or via phone by calling 610-631-3000. Individuals who do not meet the criteria will be turned away, and the location is for drive-through testing only and will not include treatment of any kind, according to officials.

Arkoosh said on Friday that testing appointments are made same-day, with scheduling beginning at 8 a.m. each day. Those who wish to be tested will be given a one-hour window for the appointment on that day, and officials are asking residents to only schedule the appointment if they are free that day.

The testing site will be closed on Sunday, March 29, and will reopen on Monday, March 30 at 8 a.m.

Hatfield Township Sees First Positive COVID-19 Cases, North Penn Area Cases Continues To Rise

Lansdale Borough Sees First Positive COVID-19 Case, North Penn Area At Nine Total Cases

Towamencin, Upper Gwynedd See First Positive Cases Of Covid-19, County Increases To 136 Positives

Whitpain Township Man Hospitalized With COVID-19, County Positives Increase To 68