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Local counties mostly remain in high-COVID group

Blair in medium classification

A new federal framework for dealing with COVID-19 that recognizes there is widespread immunity and declining cases, hospitalizations and deaths nationwide nevertheless categorizes five of the six local counties as high-level for coronavirus — with Blair the exception at medium.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention introduced the new framework Friday, relaxing its universal indoor masking recommendation for public spaces and replacing it with guidelines based on the status of local counties.

Seventy percent of Americans live in counties in the low or medium COVID levels, according to Gretta Massetti, a member of the CDC’s COVID-19 Response Incident Management Team, speaking at a virtual news conference Friday.

Most residents of medium level counties like Blair don’t need to wear masks indoors in public, but should stay abreast with vaccines and boosters and be aware of COVID-19 level changes, so they can adjust their behavior if necessary, according to the CDC and officials at the state Department of Health. Even in medium-level counties, people should consider masking if they’re immunocompromised, at high risk or if they are in close contact with someone who is. Those people should get tested and quarantine if they are exposed or develop symptoms.

Residents of high-level counties like Bedford, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield and Huntingdon should still wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status, according to the CDC.

Residents of low-level counties — the closest one to Altoona is Westmoreland — should talk with their doctor about masking if they’re at high risk, but otherwise stay up to date with vaccines and boosters and follow recommendations for testing, isolation and quarantine if they’re exposed or get COVID-19.

The CDC slots counties into the categories based on three metrics — the proportion of new COVID-19 cases, of new hospital admissions and of inpatient beds occupied by patients.

Regional case numbers for the last week:

* Blair County had 155 new cases per 100,000 residents; 19.7 new admissions per 100,000 residents; and an average of 8% of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients. Blair would be in the low-COVID category if the number of new admissions were under 10.

* Bedford County had 196 new cases per 100,000 residents; 4 new admissions per 100,000 residents; and an average of 22% of staffed inpatient beds being used for COVID patients. Bedford would have been in the medium- or low-COVID-19 category if its portion of occupied inpatient beds was less than 15%.

* Cambria County had 187 new cases per 100,000 residents; 8 new admissions per 100,000 residents; and an average of 8% of staffed inpatient beds being used for COVID patients.

* Centre County had 155 new cases per 100,000 residents; 6 new admissions per 100,000 people; and an average of 14% of staffed inpatient beds being used for COVID patients.

* Clearfield County had 213 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past week; 36 new admissions per 100,000 residents; and 23% of its staffed beds occupied by COVID patients on average. Both the percentage of new admissions and the percentage of occupied beds place Clearfield in the high-COVID category.

* Huntingdon County had 208 new cases per 100,000 residents; 17 new admissions per 100,000 residents; and 10% of staffed beds occupied by COVID patients on average. Both the percentage of admissions and the percentage of occupied beds place Huntingdon in the high-COVID category.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.

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