COVID spread ‘substantial’ now in some area counties

By JULIA FELTON

Trib Total Media

Nine Western Pennsylvania counties are experiencing “substantial” levels of COVID-19 transmission that fall under federal recommendations calling for people to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Lawrence, Washington, Armstrong, Indiana, Clarion and Somerset counties are all experiencing “substantial” COVID-19 transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC has four tiers of transmission: low, moderate, substantial and high.

According to recently updated masking guidelines, the CDC recommends that everyone — including those who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus — wear masks indoors in counties where transmission is substantial or high.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends that all Pennsylvanians follow the CDC guidelines regarding masks, spokeswoman Maggi Barton said Monday.

The state has not, however, reinstituted a mask mandate.

Barton stressed that health officials continue to focus on vaccines, citing “a correlation between increased vaccination rates and lower COVID-19 case counts.”

“We cannot stress enough the importance of eligible Pennsylvanians getting vaccinated to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Barton said.

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