According to figures released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania added 456 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday. The state has 82,186 cases of the virus since the first case was discovered in March.
The death toll was increased by 27 souls over the weekend, putting the count at 6,426
The current counts of cases in the three counties of the Citizen-Standard coverage area stands with Dauphin County at a total to 1,810 cases with 120 deaths, Schuylkill stands at 715 cases with 43 deaths, and Northumberland County is at 279 cases and four deaths.
In comparison, Philadelphia County, the hot spot of the state, has their totals at 20,726 positive cases and 1,553 deaths since the coronavirus first hit in March..
Officials say that the public’s effort to fight and prevent the spread of the disease must continue.
“As we move closer to having the entire state in the green phase, we must remain committed to protecting against COVID-19,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Pennsylvania has been a model for the country on how to reopen effectively using a careful, measured approach. However, the virus has not gone away. Each of us has a responsibility to continue to protect ourselves, our loved ones and others by wearing a mask, maintaining social distancing and washing our hands frequently. Together we can protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our essential workers and our healthcare system.”
As far as negative tests for each county, Dauphin is listed as having 15,687 negative tests while Schuylkill reported 7,007 negative tests and 2,639 in Northumberland County.
Currently 746 Pennsylvania residents are hospitalized with the virus and its complications, up 18 from Friday.
In nursing and personal care homes, there are 17,177 resident cases of COVID-19, and 3,053 cases among employees, for a total of 20,230 at 669 distinct facilities in 49 counties. Out of our total deaths, 4,389 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. Approximately 6,219 of our total cases are in health care workers.
The counties affected and the number of confirmed cases, with the number of deaths in parentheses, are:
Adams-317(11), Allegheny-2,220 (179), Armstrong-69 (6), Beaver-625 (77), Bedford-66 (2), Berks-4,419 (345), Blair-58 (1), Bradford-50 (3), Bucks-5,567 (552), Butler-271 (13), Cambria- 61 (3), Cameron-2, Carbon-267 (24), Centre-184 (6), Chester-3,513 (316), Clarion-31 (2), Clearfield-67, Clinton-71 (3), Columbia-397 (33), Crawford-42, Cumberland-792 (61), Dauphin-1,810 (120), Delaware-7,051 (635), Elk-9, Erie-535 (9), Fayette-104 (4), Forest-7, Franklin-882 (42), Fulton-18 (1), Greene-35, Huntingdon-240 (4), Indiana-98 (5), Jefferson-20 (1), Juniata-108 (5), Lackawanna-1,627 (200), Lancaster-4,029 (347), Lawrence-92 (9), Lebanon-1,261 (40), Lehigh-4,091 (279), Luzerne-2,870 (171), Lycoming-173 (19), McKean-15 (1), Mercer-119 (6), Mifflin-61 (1), Monroe-1,378 (107), Montgomery-8,123 (784), Montour-68, Northampton-3,312 (252), Northumberland-279 (4), Perry-83 (5), Philadelphia-20,726 (1,553), Pike-489 (20), Potter-13, Schuylkill-715 (43), Snyder-61 (1), Somerset-48 (1), Sullivan-3, Susquehanna-178 (20), Tioga-23 (2), Union-89 (2), Venango-17, Warren-5, Washington-168 (6), Wayne-130 (9), Westmoreland-546 (38), Wyoming-37 (7), York-1,351 (36).
As of midnight June 22, there have been 585,662 negative tests for the coronavirus. The state also said that 78 percent of the confirmed cases have recovered. If a case has not been reported as a death, and it is more than 30 days past the date of their first positive test (or onset of symptoms) then an individual is considered recovered.
The two stages of reopening and the counties that are in them are:
Yellow counties — Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Sullivan, and Susquehanna. (All but Lebanon moves to green on Friday, June 26).
Green counties — Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne,Westmoreland, Wyoming and York.
What is coronavirus?
According to the Pa. Department of Health, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common throughout the world. These viruses can live in animals and at times, evolve and infect people before spreading through human to human contact.
Human coronaviruses are spread just like the common cold or the flu — either through the air through coughing or sneezing, through close personal contact like touching or shaking hands, or by touching an object or surface with the virus on it.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The symptoms can appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after a person is exposed to the illness. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to severe illness and death. As of June 22, the U.S. Center for Disease Control reports there have been 2,275,645 cases of the Coronavirus reported in the U.S. with 119,923 deaths.
What can you do?
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
Clean surfaces frequently.
Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
If you must go out for a life-sustaining reason, please wear a mask.
The Pa. Department of Health offers these guidelines as the COVID-19 crisis continues.
Stay home as much as possible. Try to get groceries once per week instead of daily. Freedom of travel remains, but please refrain from non-essential travel. Essential travel includes things like commuting to an essential job, picking up supplies like groceries and medicine, and checking on family and pets in other households. Do not host or attend gatherings.