DOH: 165 new positive COVID-19 cases in PA; school closures extended
An additional 165 positive tests for COVID-19 were reported Monday by the state Department of Health, bringing Pennsylvania蘑菇视频 total to 644 cases in 34 counties.
The DOH also reported six deaths in the state: two in Northampton County and one each in Allegheny, Lackawanna, Monroe and Montgomery counties.
The Monday numbers include two new cases in Westmoreland County, bringing the total there to six. Fayette County remains at one confirmed case and Washington County remains at seven cases.
No cases have been identified in Greene County.
Allegheny County has 48 cases, DOH numbers indicate.
Gov. Tom Wolf issued a two-week stay-at-home order for residents of Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Monroe, Delaware, Monroe, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, the hardest hit places in the state.
鈥淲e鈥檙e living in a time unlike any other. The novel coronavirus has halted life as we knew it,鈥� he said. 鈥淏efore we can recover, we must survive,鈥� Wolf said.
The order requests all residents in those counties stay at home unless it is essential that they leave, such as to buy food or pharmaceuticals. Before going out, he said to question whether it will save a life or put one at risk. Wolf said he is hopeful that will slow the spread of COVID-19 so that hospitals will not be overwhelmed beyond their capacity.
鈥淚t is still going up, and at this rate, very quickly we will overtake the capacity of our health care system,鈥� Wolf said.
Officials are working on measures to increase the number of available hospital beds, medical masks and ventilators so that the state is not facing a situation similar to Italy, where physicians are forced to choose which patients get limited, life-saving resources.
鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 what keeps me up at night,鈥� Wolf said.
He also extended school closures until April 6, though the closure order could be extended beyond then if necessary, state Department of Education officials said.
鈥淧rotecting the health and safety of students, families, teachers and all employees who work in our schools is paramount during this national health crisis and we must continue our efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus,鈥� Secretary of Education Pedro A. Rivera said Monday. 鈥淭he number of positive cases increases daily and we鈥檙e seeing it spread to more counties. We must adhere to the social distancing guidelines. Extending the closure will help every community in its efforts to mitigate the spread.鈥�
鈥淥ur notable increase in cases over the last few days indicate we need everyone to take COVID-19 seriously,鈥� Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. 鈥淲e have seen case counts continue to increase and the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to stay home.鈥�
Currently, the numbers of positive cases are doubling every two days. Mitigation measures cannot be relaxed until that trend is reversed, she said.
Wolf said most businesses are voluntarily complying with orders to close, and he expects residents will also voluntarily comply with the stay-at-home order. Officials chose counties that showed signs of community spread. Enforcement on businesses begins with a warning before issuing a citation. Wolf said he is not aware of any businesses that refused to close after they were told they were not in compliance.
All of those who tested positive are either in isolation at home or being treated in a hospital, DOH officials said. A total of 6,595 people have tested negative for the virus.