Penn State, State College leaders urge vigilance as COVID-19 cases rise, variant is detected
A more infectious variant of COVID-19 has reached the Centre Region, Penn State officials confirmed Friday, as community leaders called for students and residents alike to take action and help stem the concerning rise in overall coronavirus cases.
In a joint press conference involving leaders from both the university and State College Borough, officials pleaded with the community to continue masking up, washing hands and social-distancing despite loosening restrictions. The announcement of the detection of B.1.1.7, also known as the “U.K. variant,” only reinforced the importance of that chorus.
“We are joining together because our concern and call for continued vigilance is for the whole community,” State College Mayor Ron Filippelli said during the virtual briefing that included a half-dozen speakers. “It’s not a matter of students being more lax, or community members or visitors. It’s about everyone. We’re seeing a relaxation across the board, unfortunately.”
It is not known how widespread the U.K. variant might be in Centre County, but the variant — which experts say is 30% to 50% more transmissible — was first confirmed here Tuesday, from a March 7 wastewater sample. The finding was not a surprise, as officials have operated under the assumption for weeks that the variant had likely already arrived.
Still, that makes the variant no less concerning. According to Penn State’s Matthew Ferrari, director at the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, the U.K. variant increases the likelihood of severe disease in addition to a 50% increase in mortality. (A recent U.K. study found deaths increased from 2.5 per 1,000 cases to 4.1 per 1,000 cases, while more low-risk patients were also hospitalized.) Fortunately, however, there is no indication that current vaccines are less effective against B.1.1.7.
“Even though a lot of things are now allowed, I would caution everybody to be extra cautious about any interactions that involve individuals outside your immediate household, your immediate family or your immediate pod,” Ferrari said.
The joint press conference came after several weeks of significant increases. According to the state’s early warning monitoring system, which is updated every Friday, Centre County’s testing positivity rate this week was 9.2% — an increase from last week’s 7.2%, which was an increase from the previous week’s 4.4%. At Penn State, based on the university’s most recent COVID-19 data, the pattern was similar.
University Park experienced 264 cases and a 3.9% testing positivity rate from March 19-25. Two weeks before that? Some 92 cases and a 1.7% positivity rate.
“It’s not time to stop wearing a mask and practicing other safety measures,” Penn State President Eric Barron said.
With a year’s worth of cabin fever giving way to warm temperatures and relaxed restrictions, several officials noted that some community members have become too lax. Students gathered closely on the Old Main lawn earlier this week, many without masks, while residents have also gotten back in the habit of standing in lines and eschewing the guidelines.
Filippelli stressed that the borough is prepared to continue enforcing an ordinance that can fine individuals $300 for not following guidelines like mask-wearing. The borough has issued 139 citations so far. Barron said the same, adding that 381 students this semester have been charged with a failure to comply with COVID-19-related regulations — with a few facing notations on their transcript or even suspension, as a result.
For now, however, in-person commencement still remains on.
“We’re still in a position where we’re following and within the guidelines that have been provided by the Department of Health,” Barron said. “We believe we can do it safely, but we can always pivot away if things become worse.”
Issues and complications stemming from the recent rise in COVID-19 have been scattered throughout both Happy Valley and the county. In the State College Area School District, Superintendent Bob O’Donnell noted a rise in student cases over the last three weeks. He said the district would love to offer more in-person learning opportunities in the final month of the school year — but cannot do so while the cases are this high.
According to the state Department of Health, Centre County has the fourth-highest incidence rate in the commonwealth at 238.3 cases this past week per 100,000 residents. Two weeks ago, that number stood at 127.5.
At Mount Nittany Medical Center, the stakes have been even higher. The hospital released a statement earlier this week about being “highly concerned” with the rise in hospitalizations. On March 10, 11 COVID patients were hospitalized — but the numbers have slowly climbed since then with 22 Friday.
Per the state Department of Health, 1.7% of Centre County’s emergency department visits this past week have been related to COVID-like-illness — more than quadruple last week’s 0.4%.
“COVID-19 is a serious disease with an unpredictable course and should not be taken lightly,” said Dr. Christopher Hester, Mount Nittany Health’s chief clinical officer of primary care services. “We do not want to get to the point again where we need to limit our services because of the number of hospitalized COVID patients.”
Since the first COVID-19 case in Centre County last March, there have been a total of 14,225 cases here. In Pennsylvania, there have now been more than a million cases — with another 4,927 cases on Friday, the most in nearly two months.
With vaccinations on the rise, and with the county boasting 65,828 so far, students and residents might soon be able to enjoy their favorite pre-pandemic activities. But community leaders came together Friday to remind them that time is not yet now.
“Our experiences during the pandemic show that if we come together, behave responsibly and protect one another, we can get back to normal — where we all want to be,” SCASD’s O’Donnell said.
This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 10:59 AM.
