According to figures released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania added 600 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday. The state has 84,370 cases of the virus since the first case was discovered in March.
The death toll was increased by 22 souls on Friday, putting the count at 6,579.
Dauphin County added 24 new cases and one death to their totals, while Schuylkill County added six new cases and a death and Northumberland County added four new cases. The current counts of cases in the three counties of the Citizen-Standard coverage area stands with Dauphin County at a total to 1,917 cases with 132 deaths, Schuylkill stands at 736 cases with 44 deaths, and Northumberland County is at 288 cases and five deaths.
In comparison, Philadelphia County, the hot spot of the state, added 131 cases and four deaths on Friday, putting their totals at 21,203 positive cases and 1,587 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 nearly the entire state is now 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 16,775 negative tests while Schuylkill reported 7,446 negative tests and 2,911 in Northumberland County.
Currently 675 Pennsylvania residents are hospitalized with the virus and its complications, down 27 from Thursday.
In nursing and personal care homes, there are 17,527 resident cases of COVID-19, and 3,162 cases among employees, for a total of 20,689 at 678 distinct facilities in 51 counties. Out of our total deaths, 4,518 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. Approximately 6,395 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-324 (12), Allegheny-2,382 (183), Armstrong-72 (6), Beaver-638 (78), Bedford-76 (3), Berks-4,474 (348), Blair-69 (1), Bradford-56 (3), Bucks-5,676 (561), Butler-284 (13), Cambria- 67 (3), Cameron-2, Carbon-272 (25), Centre-198 (6), Chester-3,607 (322), Clarion-33 (2), Clearfield-72, Clinton-75 (4), Columbia-399 (33), Crawford-51, Cumberland-830 (63), Dauphin-1,917 (132), Delaware-7,117 (651), Elk-12, Erie-572 (10), Fayette-106 (4), Forest-7, Franklin-902 (42), Fulton-18 (1), Greene-35, Huntingdon-245 (4), Indiana-101 (6), Jefferson-21 (1), Juniata-110 (5), Lackawanna-1,662 (202), Lancaster-4,280 (354), Lawrence-99 (9), Lebanon-1,300 (43), Lehigh-4,187 (288), Luzerne-2,891 (176), Lycoming-176 (19), McKean-15 (1), Mercer-130 (6), Mifflin-62 (1), Monroe-1,391 (108), Montgomery-8,301 (792), Montour-69, Northampton-3,360 (263), Northumberland-288 (5), Perry-86 (5), Philadelphia-21,203 (1,587), Pike-489 (20), Potter-15, Schuylkill-736 (44), Snyder-61 (2), Somerset-55 (1), Sullivan-3, Susquehanna-179 (22), Tioga-23 (2), Union-90 (2), Venango-17, Warren-5, Washington-187 (6), Wayne-138 (9), Westmoreland-587 (38), Wyoming-37 (7), York-1,428 (43).
As of midnight June 26, there have been 634,711 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.
With the new stay-at-home orders expiring, all counties in Pennsylvania, with the exception of Lebanon County, are now in the green phase of Gov. Wolf’s reopening plan. Wolf announced on Friday at Lebanon will turn green on July 3.
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 25, the U.S. Center for Disease Control reports there have been 2,374,282 cases of the Coronavirus reported in the U.S. with 121,809 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.