As part of a COVID-19 briefing, Governor Tom Wolf on Tuesday thanked Pennsylvanians, including the Pennsylvania National Guard, for the many contributions to the pandemic response.
“I personally want to thank our National Guard members and their families for their work, especially during these trying times,” Gov. Wolf said. “Just like other families across the commonwealth, I know our military families are facing new challenges. Some are overcoming these challenges while coping with one parent being away from home due to a deployment to a COVID-19 site. That’s really showing the strength of these dedicated, courageous Pennsylvanians.”
He also thanked Pennsylvanians for their contributions that helped to move us toward a broader reopening of the state.
“We’re able to make this progress toward safely reopening our economy because people are taking precautions and keeping themselves and their communities safe – whether it is a person wearing a mask or a business changing their operations to protect employees and customers,” Gov Wolf said. “I thank each and every one of you for doing your part.”
Dauphin and Schuylkill Counties will join Northumberland County in the yellow phase of reopening at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 29. All Pennsylvanias counties are expected to be out of the red on June 14 and 17 counties will be going green on May 29.
Pennsylvania added 780 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, keeping the streak going of less than 1,000 cases per day going.
According to information released on Pa. Department of Health’s website, the state has 69,417 cases of the virus since the first case was discovered in March.
The death toll was increased by 113 souls on Tuesday, putting the count at 5,265.
Dauphin County added 37 cases and three deaths to its total on Tuesday, while Schuylkill County added one case and one death, while Northumberland County added five cases. Dauphin County currently stands at a total to 1,174 cases with 66 deaths, Schuylkill stands at 601 cases with 28 deaths, and Northumberland County, in the yellow phase of reopening, is at 182 cases and three deaths.
In comparison, Philadelphia County, the hot spot of the state, added 242 cases and 30 deaths, putting their totals at 17,839 positive cases and 1,262 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 Pennsylvania continues to move forward in the process to reopen, we need to remember that the threat from COVID-19 has not gone away,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “As counties move into the yellow and green phases, we must take personal responsibility to protect others. Wearing a mask, continuing to maintain social distancing, and washing your hands frequently are all steps we can take to help protect others, including our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, our essential workers and our healthcare system.”
As far as negative tests for each county, Dauphin is listed as having 9,547 negative tests while Schuylkill reported 4,612 negative tests and 1,333 in Northumberland County.
The state also updated numbers of age ranges of the positive cases and hospitalizations to date. Currently 1,493 Pennsylvania residents are hospitalized with the virus and its complications.
The breakdown is as follows:
Positive cases
Ages 0-4, <1%; 5-12, <1%; 13-18, 2%; 19-24, 6%; 25-49, 37%; 50-64, 26%, 65+, 28%
Hospitalizations
Ages 0-4, <1%; 5-12 <1%; 13-18, <1%; 19-24, 1%; 25-49, 16%; 50-64, 26%; 65+, 56%
The counties affected and the number of confirmed cases, with the number of deaths in parentheses, are:
Adams-236 (7), Allegheny-1,828 (160), Armstrong-61 (4), Beaver-570 (72), Bedford-38 (2), Berks-3,952 (301), Blair-48 (1), Bradford-46 (3), Bucks-4,930 (473), Butler-222 (12), Cambria-57 (2), Cameron-2 Carbon-232 (22), Centre-149 (6), Chester-2,504 (260), Clarion-25 (2), Clearfield-37, Clinton-54 (1), Columbia-346 (31), Crawford-23, Cumberland-611 (47), Dauphin-1,174 (66), Delaware-6,289 (532), Elk-6, Erie-235 (4), Fayette-95 (4), Forest-7, Franklin-756 (30), Fulton-15 (1), Greene-27, Huntingdon-228 (2), Indiana-90 (5), Jefferson-7, Juniata-95 (4), Lackawanna-1,511 (159), Lancaster-3,031 (282), Lawrence-74 (8), Lebanon-936 (31), Lehigh-3,699 (215), Luzerne-2,677 (138), Lycoming-161 (15), McKean-12 (1), Mercer-106 (4), Mifflin-58 (1), Monroe-1,310 (100), Montgomery-6,738 (644), Montour-50, Northampton-2,958 (203), Northumberland-182 (3), Perry-53 (1), Philadelphia-17,839 (1,262), Pike-476 (18), Potter-4, Schuylkill-601 (28), Snyder-39 (1), Somerset-37, Sullivan-2, Susquehanna-98 (15), Tioga-16 (2), Union-56 (1), Venango-8, Warren-3, Washington-138 (5), Wayne-118 (7), Westmoreland-442 (38), Wyoming-33 (7), York-956 (22).
As of midnight May 27, there have been 349,990 negative tests for the coronavirus, 10,155 more than the day before. The state also said that 62 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..
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 May 27, the U.S. Center for Disease Control reports there have been 1,678,843 cases of the Coronavirus reported in the U.S. with 99,031 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.