Here's How Many Montgomery Co. Schoolchildren Have Tested Positive For COVID Since August

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA — There have been more than 800 cases of coronavirus amongst Montgomery County schoolchildren over the past month, according to the latest data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The updates come as the new school year gets underway, with mitigation measures in place to limit the spread of the more contagious delta variant.

Increased precautions heading into the new school year, including a state-issued universal mask mandate, have been in part inspired by higher rates of infection among children from delta than from earlier strains of COVID-19.

The most recently tracked period by state officials covers the time frame ending Sept. 8. Specifically in Montgomery County, amongst children aged 5 to 18, there have been 668 cases since Aug. 16, including 214 from Sept. 2 to Sept. 8.

Meanwhile, among children aged 4 and under, there have been 164 cases since Aug. 16, including 52 from Sept. 2 to Sept. 8.

>>COVID Closing Schools Again In Eastern PA

The data from the Department of Health does not break down individual cases among school districts. However, information for each school district's surrounding community is available below.

School districts in Montgomery County remain open to in-person instruction, although some in nearby Philadelphia have been forced to temporarily close, citing rising case counts and low vaccination rates in nearby municipalities.

The positivity rate in the county sits at 5.8 percent as of Wednesday, just over the 5 percent threshold which is deemed "concerning" by the CDC. However, that does represent a slight improvement over the week before, when the overall rate stood at 6 percent. It's the first sign that cases are stabilizing in the area after several months of steady surging.

Below is a glance at the zip codes of each local school district are faring, in terms of incidence rate per 100,000 residents. A district is in the CDC's "substantial" transmission category if the rate is between 50 and 99, and "high" if 100 or over. "Moderate" transmission is 10 to 49.

In certain school districts which contain portions of multiple municipalities, numbers for each municipality are included. This most recently tracked data covers the time period from Sept. 2 to Sept. 9.

• Abington: 93.57, Rockledge 157.67
• Boyertown: Douglass 152.53, New Hanover 150.35, Upper Frederick 111.61
• Bryn Athyn: 78
• Cheltenham: 51.15
• Colonial: Conshohocken 62.42, Plymouth 74.62, Whitemarsh 106.68
• Hatboro-Horsham: Hatboro 67.31, Horsham 56.61
• Lower Merion: 76.62
• Lower Moreland: 151.79
• Methacton: Lower Providence 60.56, Worcester 57.84
• Norristown: East Norriton 57, Norristown 52.19, West Norriton 89.15
• North Penn: Hatfield Borough 60.02, Hatfield Twp. 85.25, Lansdale 132.70, Montgomery Twp. 34.64, North Wales 122.70, Towamencin 71.14, Upper Gwynedd 75.82
• Perkiomen Valley: Lower Frederick 204.88, Perkiomen 54.43, Schwenksville 67.43, Skippack 80.76
• Pottsgrove: Lower Pottsgrove 65.90, Upper Pottsgrove 35.82, West Pottsgrove 155
• Pottstown: 198.29
• Springfield: 101.84
• Souderton: Franconia 158.39, Lower Salford 84.87, Salford 308.01, Souderton 246.02, Telford 225.90, Upper Salford 267.38
• Spring-Ford: Limerick 74.18, Royersford 20.95, Upper Providence 105.98
• Jenkintown: 45.02
• Upper Dublin: 41.87
• Upper Merion: Bridgeport 43.69, Upper Merion 78.23, West Conshohocken 222.39
• Upper Moreland: 91.10
• Upper Perkiomen: East Greenville 236.65, Green Lane 220.26, Marlborough 149.30, Pennsburg 154.56, Red Hill 120.10, Upper Hanover 187.09
• Wissahickon: Ambler 61.65, Lower Gwynedd 52.14, Whitpain 88.57