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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Covid-19 Test Positivity Rate Continues to Drop.



Numbers cruncher Steve Thode has some encouraging news concerning the Covid-19 pandemic.

For the seven days ended August 15, NorCo reported 2,702 new tests with 80 positives. That's a positivity rate of 2.96%.

For the seven days ended August 15, Lehigh reported 2,613 new tests with 102 positives. That's a positivity rate of 3.90%.

For the seven days ended August 15, DoH reported statewide 167,496 new tests with 5,608 positives. That's a positivity rate of 3.35%

So, NorCo is doing better than the statewide average while Lehigh is doing worse.

A positivity rate is the percentage of all coronavirus tests performed that are actually positive, or: (positive tests)/(total tests) x 100%. The World Health Organization recommends that the positivity rate be at or below 5% for two weeks before easing restrictions.

In NorCo, Exec Lamont McClure calls this low positivity rate "tremendous news," but warns the cold and flu season cometh. The cold and flu season has already hit the southern hemisphere, but the numbers are much lower than usual. Some experts believe that social distancing and masks have been very effective tools against the flu.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

With schools pushed into reopening we should be able to get those numbers up by the middle of September.

Anonymous said...

Pushed? Do you read? Kids are more likely to succumb to dengue fever or Rickets, given current infection rates. Seems like you're routing for higher rates. But there's no there there and you're facing the reality of having been had to the point of paranoia. Bummer. Boo.