Erie County Update: July 8, 2020

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Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper reported 12 new positive cases of COVID-19 today at her weekly video conference. This brings our cumulative total to 691 positive cases (with 71 over the last week). With 12,664 negatives, with 139 yesterday. So far, there have been 539 recovered cases (86 last week), for a total of 137 current active cases. So far, there have been 15 deaths of Erie County residents reported due to COVID-19. 

According to the PA Department of health, this week's breakdown of new cases has been: 

Thursday, July 2: 6 

Friday, July 3: 10

Saturday, July 4: 15

Sunday, July 5: 5

Monday, July 6: 11

Tuesday, July 7: 18

Wednesday, July 8: 12

Erie County's cumulative positive case total has more than doubled in a little over a month. By our math, there have been 133 new cases reported over the last 14 days, for a ratio of just under 48 cases per 100,000 people in the last 14 days. 

Erie County's latest breakdown by sex:

58% - Female

42% - Male

Breakdown by age group*:

4% - Age 4 or younger

2% - Age 5 - 9

5% - Age 10 - 18

15% - Age 19 - 24

42% - Age 25 - 49 

19% - Age 50 - 64

13% - Age 65 or older

*Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Breakdown by race and ethnicity:

49% Caucasian/White (because of the NEDS classification within this category, this includes the Hispanic/Latinx population, comprising 10% of this portion, with 14% unknown) 

33% African-American/Black

5% Asian

2% Multi-racial

2% Other

11% Unknown

"I am proud to announce that three epidemiologists from the CDC arrived at the Erie County Department of Health just this past Monday," Dalhkemper stated. "One of these individuals is a state-based epidemiology and surveillance manager, One is an infectious disease epidemiologist, and one is an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer."

Dahlkemper went on to underscore the extreme importance of public masking, saying: 

"As I mentioned, 539 people in Erie County have recovered from COVID-19," Dahlkemper noted. "And while that is very wonderful news, many of the recovered cases still have lingering conditions, including respiratory issues and difficulty breathing. We must continue to wear our mass and physically distance ourselves and practice good hygiene." Dahlkemper implored residents to "please stay away from anyone you know who was ill." 

"I continue to see and hear reports of crowds gathering where no one or very few people are wearing masks. Are the risks worth it? I urge you to think about others, especially the most vulnerable people that you know and love."

Be a superhero and wear a mask. Even at the beach. If you can't keep six-foot distance from others that you don't live with, please wear a mask. 

Research shows that wearing a mask helps to fight the spread of COVID-19. I was just reading this morning, that face mask could save as many as 45,000 lives in the United States by November, if 95% of us would wear a mask in public. 

The director of the Institute for Health metrics and evaluation at the University of Washington believes that mask-wearing is a simple strategy to save lives, while also helping the economy because it helps us avoid the shutdowns that had happened prior and that we see happening in other communities currently. with so many unknowns surrounding this life-threatening virus, even if there's a small chance that wearing a mask protect the people around you and protect yourself. Isn't it worth it?"

She went on to commend Plantscape Greenhouses in Fairview as this week's star player, citing them as a model business in their safety procedures.

Dahlkemper was joined by David George, supervisor of environmental health services at the Erie County Department of Health, to explain the state's recent public masking order.

Outside of Erie County's statistics, Pennsylvania, saw 849 additional positive cases reported today, for a total of 92,148 total cases. So far, there have been 6,812 deaths statewide, with an average of 42 deaths per day. 774,378 patients have tested negative to date, with an average of 23,737 tests cataloged per day this week.