The number of COVID-19 cases in Bucks County rose to seven late Monday night.
County officials said out-of-state or out-of country contacts have been identified as the sources of two of the new cases. It is currently unknown how the third case – an older adult with preexisting health problems – caught the virus.
While two of the patients are at home with mild symptoms, the older adult is hospitalized in serious but stable condition. County officials did not release where the person was hospitalized.
One of the cases involves an adult who returned home recently from Spain and another is a person who was out of state at a gathering with several individuals who displayed symptoms.
Contact tracing for the older adult who is in the hospital remained under investigation, said Dr. David Damsker, county health director.
The first four patients in the county with COVID-19 all were adults with mild symptoms. All of those individuals traveled out of county or the country and picked up the virus.
Damsker broke news of the three new cases while testifying by phone Monday evening in an emergency hearing where the Bucks County Board of Election was attempting to get a court order to postpone a special election in Bensalem that will take place Tuesday. However, Bucks County Judge Jeffrey Trauger shot down the petition and said he did not have the authority to postpone the special election.
“It does concern me somewhat that a symptomatic person determined to vote could show up” at the polls, Damsker testified, adding that it “would be a little bit of a logistical nightmare” to impose the type of social distancing recommended by government and medical officials at a polling place.
County and state health officials said they expect the number of COVID-19 cases to increase this week.
As of Monday evening, there were 78 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania.
