Masks Now Recommended In 25 PA Counties, CDC Says

PENNSYLVANIA — Residents of 25 Pennsylvania counties should wear masks indoors even if fully vaccinated, according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. Those counties are reporting either high or substantial community spread of the coronavirus as of data provided Tuesday. That's up from nine counties the week before that were designated as having high or substantial spread.

Among the counties now with substantial spread are the five with the largest populations, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: Philadelphia (1.6 million), Allegheny (1.2 million), Montgomery (830,000), Bucks (628,000) and Delaware (567,000).

One county, Crawford in northwestern Pennsylvania, has a high community transmission spread. Twenty-four others have substantial spread.

The remainder of the state's 67 counties have low or moderate spread of the virus. The CDC statistics cover the July 26-Aug. 1 period. In the July 25-31 period, only nine counties had high or substantial spread.

The CDC and other health organizations have emphasized that the way to slow community transmission of the virus is for people to get vaccinated against it.

The national average of adults that have received at least one dose of the vaccine is 69.9 percent. In Crawford, the county with the high transmission spread, the percentage is 53.9 percent.

According to the latest data from the state Department of Health, 63.2 percent of Pennsylvania residents age 18 and older are fully vaccinated as of Aug. 1.

Here are the one-dose adult vaccination rates for the 24 counties with substantial spread:

• Clarion: 47.3 percent.

• Beaver: 49.2 percent.

• Indiana: 49.7 percent.

• Somerset: 52.1 percent.

• Clearfield: 54 percent.

• Lawrence: 54.3 percent.

• Warren: 57.1 percent.

• Adams: 57.6 percent.

• Lebanon: 61.9 percent.

• Pike: 62.1 percent.

• Armstrong: 63 percent.

• Monroe: 64.2 percent.

• Wyoming: 66.8 percent.

• Butler 67.3 percent.

• Luzerne: 69 percent.

• Dauphin: 70.3 percent.

• Lancaster: 70.3 percent.

• Philadelphia: 72.4 percent.

• Washington: 74.2 percent.

• Allegheny: 78.3 percent.

• Bucks: 80.9 percent.

• Northampton: 82.2 percent.

• Delaware: 82.7 percent.

• Montgomery: 95.7 percent.

(Graphic: CDC)

Community transmission spread key:
Red: High.
Brown: Substantial.
Yellow: Moderate.
Blue: Low.

Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.