Increase in Westmoreland coronavirus cases not a worry — yet

New coronavirus cases in Westmoreland County have climbed steadily since last week, including 11 reported Sunday and 16 on Monday — the first daily double-digit increases since late April.

Officials say the spike is not yet cause for concern.

“Obviously, the virus is still out there, and there is still some community spread,” said Roland “Bud” Mertz, the county’s public safety director. “That being said, as we monitor the resurgence, our key things that we have to look out for is a surge in ambulance calls and a surge in hospital patients.”

As of Monday afternoon, there were no patients hospitalized in county hospitals with coronavirus, according to Excela Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Carol Fox. Ambulance calls have been unaffected by the new cases, Mertz said.

Officials don’t know exactly what is causing the increase in cases, but there are likely several contributing factors, Fox said.

“People have relaxed social distancing,” she said. “Despite the recommendation that people wear masks and maintain social distancing, I’m not sure we’re seeing that.”

Many county businesses were allowed to reopen June 5, when the region entered the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s three-tiered reopening plan.

The number of coronavirus tests administered in the county varies from one day to another, but there has not been a major uptick or decline in testing in recent weeks.

Universal coronavirus testing is now mandatory at all nursing homes and long-term care facilities, but that does not appear to be the cause of the county’s climbing case numbers, according to Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesman Nate Wardle.

Fox said it’s too soon to tell whether the recent increase is foreshadowing a more serious resurgence or if it is a minor side effect of reopening that soon will stabilize.

The county had an average of 5.7 new cases per day since the start of the pandemic. In May, the average was 1.8. June’s average so far is 4.4 new cases per day.

Contact tracing was implemented statewide to track new cases and the spread of the virus, Wardle said.

Some increase in cases is to be expected as businesses reopen. Wardle said state officials do not expect cases to climb to problematic levels but urged residents to continue exercising caution.

“The virus has not gone away,” he said. “Each of us has a responsibility to continue to protect ourselves, our loved ones and others by wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and washing our hands frequently.”