Department of Health Announces CDC Teams to Assist in Pennsylvania COVID-19 Response

Department of Health Announces CDC Teams to Assist in Pennsylvania COVID-19 Response

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine today announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sent three teams to Pennsylvania to assist with the COVID-19 response.

“We are so pleased to have this level of collaboration and assistance from the CDC to help our teams working in the field in Pennsylvania,” Dr. Levine said. “COVID-19 is a particularly challenging situation for congregate settings, including large workplaces, food industries and long-term care facilities. These teams are assisting us in our response in these hardest-hit areas as we work to protect the public health and safety of Pennsylvanians.”

These teams arrived in Pennsylvania on Thursday, May 14. Since then, they have been working to become familiar with the situation across the state so they can begin providing assistance to locations in need. There are two teams assisting long-term care facilities and one team assisting food facility outbreaks.

The CDC teams will be onsite in Pennsylvania for two weeks to help in the response using their expertise. These teams will help assess the situation, teach infection control practices, and offer training on personal protective equipment (PPE) and outbreak response at the facilities they visit. They will also assist with developing a testing strategy for the nursing homes they visit and use their expertise to help cohort residents.

As of 12:00 a.m., May 18 p.m., there were 63,056 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide in 67 counties and 4,505 confirmed deaths. Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 and older. More data is available here.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

  • 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.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.

Rescue Crews Search For Fisherman Who Fell Into River

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Rescue crews in western Pennsylvania are searching for a man who fell into the Ohio River while fishing near Pittsburgh over the weekend. Ohio Township police said 23-year-old Kenneth Robinson had been fishing with three friends from a boat dock on Neville Island when he fell into the water Saturday night. Swift water rescue crews and search dogs have been taking part along with township police and emergency medical personnel.

Ken Osmond, Eddie Haskell on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ dies

Ken Osmond, Eddie Haskell on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ dies
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ken Osmond, who played the two-faced teenage scoundrel Eddie Haskell on TV’s “Leave it to Beaver,” has died. Osmond’s family says he died Monday in Los Angeles. He was 76. A child actor from Glendale, California, Osmond in 1957 landed the role of Eddie, the scheming teen on the classic family sitcom that ran until 1963. Tony Dow, who played Eddie’s best friend Wally Cleaver on the show, says Osmond created a character that will last forever. Osmond gave up acting and become a police officer before reviving the Eddie role in 1980s revivals of “Leave It to Beaver.”

PA State Police Provide Update In Aliquippa Homicide

At a press conference at their Beaver barracks on Monday morning, Pennsylvania State Police provided further details in regard to the homicide and subsequent arrest that took place this weekend in Aliquippa. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has further details:

 

Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane
Beaver County DA David J. Lozier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 New Cases, No New Deaths In Beaver County, Reports Department Of Health

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 822 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 63,056

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 18, that there are 822 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 63,056. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

There are 4,505 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 87 new deaths. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here.

“As counties move from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders. I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”

Locally in Beaver County we are at 533 positive cases of COVID-19, up 16 from yesterday. 2,781 people have tested Negative and the county is at 83 deaths.

There are 277,553 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

  • Nearly 1% are ages 0-4;
  • Nearly 1% are ages 5-12;
  • Nearly 2% are ages 13-18;
  • Nearly 6% are ages 19-24;
  • Nearly 37% are ages 25-49;
  • Nearly 26% are ages 50-64; and
  • Nearly 29% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 13,626 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,111 cases among employees, for a total of 15,737 at 561 distinct facilities in 44 counties. Out of our total deaths, 3,086 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 4,479 of our total cases are in health care workers.

2nd Woman Pronounced Dead In Butler County Car Accident

VALENCIA, Pa. (AP) — Police say a second woman has died of injuries stemming from the crash of a car into a convenience store in western Pennsylvania over the weekend. Officer Conrad Pfeifer of the Middlesex Township police department says 36-year-old Patricia Collins, who was a back seat passenger, was pronounced dead shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday at UPMC Presbyterian. Thirty-nine-year-old Kimberly Young, the front seat passenger, died at the scene of the crash into the Co’Go’s early Sunday. The 37-year-old driver was taken to UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh with injuries described as moderate. Police say alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash.

Florida Keys will reopen to visitors June 1 amid pandemic

Florida Keys will reopen to visitors June 1 amid pandemic
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Keys will reopen to tourists on June 1, more than two months after the island chain closed to visitors to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. The Monroe County Emergency Management said Sunday that checkpoints that barred visitors from coming into the Florida Keys will be removed next month. The statement says hotels and other lodging establishments will also be allowed to reopen at 50% occupancy. Businesses must implement sanitation stations and follow the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s cleaning guidelines for COVID-19. The Florida Keys have been closed to non-visitors since March 22.

Tropical Storm Arthur crawls closer to North Carolina coast

Tropical Storm Arthur crawls closer to North Carolina coast
MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Arthur is crawling closer to the North Carolina coast, amid threats of some minor flooding and rough seas as the system moves off the Southeast seaboard. Arthur formed Saturday off Florida, marking the sixth straight year a named storm has developed before the official June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season.The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm warning for North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Sunday. At 2 a.m. EDT Monday, the storm’s center was located about 185 miles south-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Arthur had top sustained winds of 45 mph as it moved north-northeast.

MIAMI (AP) — Life-threatening surf and rip currents will spread along U.S. East coast beaches in the days ahead as Tropical Storm Arthur kicks up ocean swells offshore, the National Hurricane Center warned on Monday.
It’s another early start for the Atlantic hurricane season: Arthur formed Saturday in waters off Florida, marking the sixth straight year that a named storm has developed before June 1.
The Hurricane Center said Arthur is expected to move near or just east of the coast of North Carolina, where up to 5 inches of rain was expected in spots Monday before turning away from the East Coast Tuesday.
At 5 a.m. EDT, the storm’s center was located about 85 miles (135 kilometers) south-southwest of Morehead City, North Carolina. Arthur had top sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving to the north-northeast at 14 mph (22 kph).
A tropical storm warning was issued for parts of North Carolina’s coast, from Surf City to Duck, including Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and heavy rainfall is expected for much of the eastern part of the state, said Michael Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport, North Carolina.
“But the main threat that we’re really trying to get out there is that there is enhanced risk for dangerous rip currents both today and tomorrow. So, any folks who want to try to go to the beach and get in the water, we have a high risk out for most of our beaches,” Lee said.
The weather service said eastern North Carolina should prepare for some localized flooding and dangerous marine conditions along the coast.
“Minor inundation from storm surge is possible for very low-lying areas adjacent to the ocean, sounds, and rivers, with overwash of dunes and flooding of properties and roadways possible for locations where dune structures are weak,” mainly north of Cape Lookout, the weather service said.
While there may be a component of warming waters and climate change in other pre-June storms, Arthur is more of a subtropical storm system than a traditional named storm and its water is cooler than what’s usually needed for storm formation, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
A lot of these out-of-season storms are weak fleeting ones that meteorologists can see now because of satellites and better technology and would have been missed in earlier times, Klotzbach said.
Local forecasters in the Bahamas said showers have lingered over the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco, which are still struggling to recover after being hit by a Category 5 hurricane last year. Patients are being cared for in tents in Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian damaged the island’s hospital.
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Associated Press writer Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contributed to this report.

U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb Releases Statement on Economic Package that Passed the House on Friday

(PITTSBURGH, PA) – Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) issued the following statement following the U.S. House of Representatives vote on H.R. 6800:

 “People in western Pennsylvania and all over the country have sacrificed a lot during this crisis.  They expect us to put politics aside, work together, and focus on defeating the coronavirus.  This bill is not focused, it was rushed to a vote too fast, and it doesn’t help us accomplish that core mission.

 “We need bipartisan action to get people the money they need to survive while we defeat this virus, and we need to make sure the money is spent effectively.  We have bipartisan support for funding our state and local governments as they perform more testing, plan to reopen schools, and protect the most vulnerable, including residents of our nursing homes.  We have bipartisan support for helping the unemployed, underemployed, and underpaid with direct payments.

 “So let’s fight this battle together on common ground.  Let’s pass a bill focused on those priorities.  Let’s give the American people confidence that while they sacrifice, we are spending their tax dollars on the essentials and making constant progress against the virus.

 “More than 85,000 of our fellow Americans are dead.  More than 30 million have lost their jobs.  Partisan fights have never looked smaller.  We need to go back to the negotiating table immediately and work on a bill that can actually pass and will actually help the people who desperately need it.”