COVID-19 Not Letting Up In Chesco Towns With Highest Percentages

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Two weeks into the new year, communities in Chester County where COVID-19 has been most concentrated saw that percentage rise again, as the COVID-19 vaccine is still in the 1A phase of distribution.

Those places where infection rates were highest in late December remained high in the most recent accounting by the Chester County Health Department. Avondale and Kennett Square Boroughs are approaching 8 percent of their populations having tested positive for COVID-19.

Avondale Borough on Dec. 24 had 6.64 percent of its population test positive for COVID-19, with 93 cases, but no deaths. In today's update by the Chester County Health Department, the case count was up to 106 and no deaths had been reported, but 7.54 percent of the borough's population has tested COVID-19 positive.

Kennett Square Borough now has the highest percentage of its population testing positive for COVID-19, at 7.61 percent as of Jan. 13. That figure is up from 6.39 percent on Dec. 24 when there had been 396 positive cases and three deaths. Today's report counted 472 cases of COVID-19 in Kennett Square and four deaths.

Five municipalities still had percentages of positive tests over 5 percent of their populations as 2020 ended; West Grove and Oxford boroughs, Coatesville City and South Coatesville Borough, and London Grove Township. A total of 22 people had died of COVID-19 in these five municipalities by Dec. 24.

Oxford, London Grove, West Grove, and Atglen have all passed 6 percent of their populations testing positive, while Coatesville City and South Coatesville Borough fall just under 6 percent in the county's Jan. 13 data update. These six municipalities have seen 40 deaths in all.

Chester County's distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine began Dec. 23, when new cases had dropped by 463 the week before. In the week ending Jan. 7, new cases were up by 153, the state Department of Health reported.

The Chester County Health Department reported yesterday 570 deaths in the county from COVID-19. The countywide case positivity rate is 11.1 percent, having held close to that across recent weeks. However, the county's incidence rate rose from 241 per 100,000 in the last week of 2020 to 270 per 100,000 residents in the week ending Jan. 7, the state health department's most recent data reported.

Malvern Borough has had no deaths from COVID-19, but reports 114 cases, representing 3.3 percent of its population.

East and West Goshen townships along with Willistown all had about 4 percent of their populations reporting positive tests at year's end, and now are around 4.5 percent. The three municipalities have seen 124 deaths in all.

Willistown has lost 53 persons to COVID-10, East Goshen has lost 51, and West Goshen 20.

Phoenixville Borough has had 26 deaths to COVID-19 and its percent of positive cases in the population is at 3.93 percent, at 666 reported cases.

West Chester Borough has seen 29 deaths and its percentage of the population infection rose to 5.06 percent since the end of 2020.

The borough has reported 1,014 cases of COVID-19, meaning there have been 82 new cases in the last two weeks.

West Goshen Township has had the most cases of any Chester County municipality at 1,041, up from 950 cases two weeks ago. But West Goshen's cases account for 4.53 percent of its population. Twenty have died of COVID-19 in the township.

West Whiteland Township's percent of the population with positive tests is at 3.38 percent, with 668 cases and 10 deaths reported.

Uwchlan and Upper Uwchlan townships both show case percentages just over 3 percent of their populations. There have been eight deaths in Uwchlan Township and 578 cases, and in Upper Uwchlan 394 cases and one death reported.

Spring City has been around 3 percent but is up to 3.72 percent of its population testing positive for COVID-19. There were 21 new cases reported in the last two weeks, totaling 123, with one death reported.

In Tredyffrin Township 2.99 percent of the population have tested positive for COVID-19, with 878 cases, up by 116 over the last two weeks. One person died there in the past two weeks, with 23 having died of COVID-19 in Tredyffrin Township since the pandemic began.

Schuylkill Township has 3.1 percent in its percentage of the population testing positive, with 267 COVID-19 cases reported, up by 27 over the past two weeks.

East Pikeland Township has reported nine deaths, with 4.23 percent of its population testing positive for COVID-19, and 83 new cases reported in the past two week, bringing the total in East Pikeland Township to 318.

Chester County reports 22,863 positive cases and 570 deaths from COVID-19. The Pennsylvania Department of Health today reported 18,742 people have died in Pennsylvania of COVID-19.

Chester County's health department data can be accessed here.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health updates its COVID-19 dashboard every Friday.