'Unprecedented Rise' In COVID-19 Cases Fueled By Omicron In Montco: Officials

NORRISTOWN, PA —Fueled by the omicron variant, Montgomery County's COVID metrics are spiking like never before. The county is experiencing what officials termed an "unprecedented rise" in cases.

Case numbers have nearly doubled in a few key metrics: the county's 14-day average is now at 746, up from 389 last week. And the 7-day average is now at 973, up from 483 the week previous. These numbers are by far the highest of the pandemic, reflecting a similar larger trend statewide and throughout much of the region.

The positivity rate on tests, meanwhile, has skyrocketed from 11.8 percent to 19.4 percent

"As I have said, we have the tools needed to help us through these challenging times," Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh said in a statement. "If you have not done so yet, now is the time to get vaccinated."

The county has given at least one shot of the vaccine to 86.46 of all eligible residents.

In Pennsylvania, the daily 7-day average 26,858 is well more than double the previous high during the fall surge of 2020 of just over 10,000.

Some experts believe that case counts are losing relevance, and that the focus should instead be on COVID-19 hospital admissions. This is because an enormous number of cases are resulting in mild symptoms.

However, hospitalizations are also continuing to climb: the daily average is up to more than 30 per 100,000, which is higher than any point fo the pandemic aside from last fall.

As for other key metrics in the county, the Department of Health has the following tallies for Montgomery County for the 7-day period ending Jan. 6:

• Percent of statewide emergency room visits due to COVID-19 symptoms are down from 3.2 to 2.7 percent
• The number of average daily number of people on ventilators is up from 20 to 31
• The incidence rate per 100,000 is up from 616 to 963