Free COVID-19 testing site opens at HACC York campus

York Dispatch

A new free COVID-19 testing site opened at Harrisburg Area Community College's York campus on Tuesday.

“We encourage anyone who feels they need or want a test, especially if they think they have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms, to take advantage of the free COVID-19 testing closest to them," said acting state Health Secretary Keara Klinepeter, in a written statement. "This includes fully vaccinated individuals who are experiencing symptoms.”

This new testing site is one of four the state announced in partnership with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare.

The York site, at 2010 Pennsylvania Ave., will operate through Feb. 26. Testing will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

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COVID-19 transmissions have dropped dramatically in York County over the last several weeks, coming off a spike of infections driven by the omicron variant. On Tuesday, the county logged 105 new COVID-19 cases and six new deaths.

Since the start of the pandemic, York County has recorded 116,703 cases and 1,412 total deaths, according to the state Department of Health.

As with cases, hospitalizations have been steadily declining across York County. According to state data, county hospitals had a total of 85 COVID-19 patients as of Tuesday, down seven from Monday. Of those, 21 adults were in the ICU, and 18 were on ventilators.

Only 54% of York County residents are fully vaccinated, according to the state. That figure is 75% statewide. Twenty-five percent of York County residents received a booster shot.

York County has the second-highest daily cases per capita among its neighboring counties, tied with Cumberland County with 35 daily cases per 100,000 people, according to The New York Times. Lancaster County is slightly above both with 36 daily cases per capita.

However, York County is also seeing a decreasing rate of new cases, at a level on par with its immediate neighbors.

York County: 69% decrease in cases over the last 14 days
Lancaster County: 51% decrease in cases over the last 14 days
Adams County: 72% decrease in cases over the last 14 days
Cumberland County: 67% decrease in cases over the last 14 days
Dauphin County: 63% decrease in cases over the last 14 days
Philadelphia: 54% decrease in cases over the last 14 days
New York City: 66% decrease in cases over the last 14 days

Across Pennsylvania, the state has recorded 2,729,277 COVID-19 cases and 42,424 total deaths throughout the pandemic, according to the state Department of Health.

Schools: Meanwhile, York County's 16 public school districts added 36 new cases Tuesday, bringing the total for the 2021-2022 school year to 9,500.

New cases in schools have taken a nose dive over the last week and have now returned to levels similar to what districts were seeing in the fall. Just a few weeks ago, during the height of the omicron wave, districts at one point recorded more than 400 new cases in a single day.

York County schools have more than tripled the total number of cases recorded throughout all of the previous school year. With the potential for new variants on the horizon, it is impossible to say how many cases York County schools will log by the end of the 2021-22 school year.

You can keep track of your district's recorded cases for the 2021-2022 school year here. We will continue to update on a daily basis as numbers change.