With a pane of clear plastic between them, Brandyn Hamilton, at right, buys some home cleaning products from David Arnold, at left, at Hornung's True Value Hardware in Harrisburg.
Brett Sholtis / Transforming Health
Community spread is driving COVID-19 case rate increases in York, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster and Berks counties
Parts of midstate Pennsylvania are seeing case increases well above the state average.
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Brett Sholtis
Brett Sholtis / Transforming Health
With a pane of clear plastic between them, Brandyn Hamilton, at right, buys some home cleaning products from David Arnold, at left, at Hornung's True Value Hardware in Harrisburg.
(Harrisburg) — Community spread is driving COVID-19 case rate increases in the midstate, according to the state Department of Health.
York, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster and Berks counties were all well above the average case rate in Pennsylvania for the past week, which was 43.2 cases per 100,000 people, according to the most recent county-level data.
In those five counties, that’s due to community spread, not isolated events such as an outbreak in a nursing home or prison, said Health Department spokesman Nate Wardle.
“In Northumberland County, cases among long-term care facilities have increased significantly over the last several weeks, leading to their issues,” Wardle said.
An outbreak at a federal prison in Union County “has led to some residual issues as well,” he added.
At Hornung’s Family True Value Hardware in Harrisburg, franchise owner Don Hudson has been on-site at his stores through the worst of the pandemic. At the Harrisburg store, he’s put up plastic barriers at the cash register and asks people to follow the state guidelines.
“We do clean periodically, but I think the mask is the biggest thing,” Hudson said. “Just something about people breathing on you, you know, makes you nervous.”
Hudson said he knows some bar workers who have gotten sick with the virus. While he’s not entirely sure how protective face coverings are, he believes wearing a mask has to be better than nothing—and they’re required by law.
Hudson said business slowed to a crawl in April and May, and he hopes that COVID-19 cases in the city don’t continue to increase.
Brandyn Hamilton, who was in the store to buy some household cleaning products, said with summer, he’s seeing more of his friends abandoning the rules as they take vacations or gather for parties.
“You know, I’m just trying to stay as safe as possible,” Hamilton said. “If I don’t need to go in a group of 20, 25 people, then I’m not going to.”
Hamilton noted that his alma mater, Kutztown University in Berks County, is about to open for fall semester. It’s just one of many schools opening at a time when case rates are climbing.
The virus has killed more than 7,500 people in Pennsylvania.
In the midstate
These figures reflect the number of cases per 100,000 people during the seven days from Aug. 7 through Aug. 13. The average case rate in Pennsylvania during this period was 43.2 cases per 100,000 people.
- Adams — 47
- Berks — 50
- Columbia — 18
- Cumberland — 29
- Dauphin — 68
- Franklin — 51
- Juniata — 24
- Lancaster — 59
- Lebanon — 32
- Mifflin — 13
- Northumberland — 79
- Perry — 19
- Schuylkill — 20
- Snyder — 35
- Union — 147
- York — 70
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
