US layoffs climb to 41 million, despite business reopenings
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and DAN SEWELL Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly 2.1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country, bringing the running total since the coronavirus shutdowns took hold in mid-March to about 41 million. The government figures underscore the continuing damage to businesses and livelihoods from the outbreak that has now killed at least 100,000 people in the U.S.

Wolf Administration Distributes Testing Supplies to Hospitals, More Than 67,000 Patients Tested Since March

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf announced today that additional shipments of testing supplies have been sent to hospitals across Pennsylvania this week. Since March 9, the Pennsylvania Department of Health has distributed supplies to more than 60 hospitals, health care facilities, and county and municipal health departments to help test more than 67,000 patients.

“We know we need to ramp up testing capabilities as a means to further mitigate COVID-19,” Gov. Wolf said. “These supplies are critical to that goal. We will continue to distribute these supplies as quickly and efficiently as they become available.”

Testing supplies include nasopharyngeal swabs and viral transport media tubes depending on what is requested by facilities. The department sent testing supplies to the following types of entities:

• 42,000 to county and municipal health departments
• 9,640 to laboratories, testing teams, state agencies and medical practices
• 8,542 to hospital and health systems
• 7,070 to long-term care facilities

“Pennsylvania recognizes that increased testing capacity is a critical aspect to successfully reopening the state; especially as certain regions move from aggressive mitigation to containment strategies,” Dr. Levine said. “Even though testing capacity has increased significantly, we will continue to provide necessary testing supplies to our partners across the state so even more Pennsylvanians can be tested and treated for COVID-19.”

As of 12:00 a.m., May 28, there are 625 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 70,042. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. There are 5,373 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 108 new deaths. County-specific information and a statewide map are 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

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

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.

Kail Introduces Bill to Test All Long-Term Care Residents and Employees for COVID-19

 

CENTER – Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), in a partnership with a colleague from southeastern Pennsylvania, drafted legislation that would ensure all employees and residents in the Commonwealth’s long-term care facilities are tested for COVID-19.

While Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced a “robust universal testing strategy” this month, it relies only on voluntary compliance and recommends testing just 20% of staff and residents weekly. The guidance applies only to nursing homes and not personal care homes or assisted living facilities – leaving two-thirds of all long-term care facilities without any motivation to test.

Long-term care facilities serve approximately 123,000 residents with 143,000 employees. The coronavirus has severely impacted Pennsylvania’s senior population as demonstrated by the data surrounding positive cases and deaths associated with long-term care facilities. As of May 10, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported that approximately 68% of all COVID-19-related deaths occurred in the state’s long-term care facilities.

“If there is one thing that we have learned through this pandemic, it is that we must do better protecting those who are most vulnerable, particularly our seniors in long-term care facilities,” Kail said. “It’s a real shame that universal testing wasn’t used sooner, but now that we know what we know, our seniors must be protected moving forward.”
Recent testing in a congregate care setting in Montgomery County showed 96% of those testing positive for COVID-19 were asymptomatic. Allowing untested, asymptomatic health care workers and long-term care facility residents to continue having contact with one another allows the disease to be passed unknowingly between them.

Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin have committed to testing all long-term care residents.

“This administration has made strides in implementing universal testing at prisons and protecting vulnerable inmates while failing to protect the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians with the same intensity in nursing homes,” Kail said. “The men and women living in long-term care facilities have been harmed the most by this pandemic, and they need our help also.”

PennDOT Extends Expiration Dates on Driver Licenses, ID Cards, and Learner’s Permits

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today that expiration dates for driver licenses, identification cards, and learner’s permits, will be extended for Pennsylvania residents in response to statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

Effective May 27, 2020, expiration dates for driver licenses, photo ID cards and learner’s permits scheduled to expire from March 16, 2020 through June 30, 2020, have been extended until June 30, 2020. These extensions are in addition to those announced on April 30, which extended products with expiration dates up to May 31 to June 30.

A camera card is considered a driver’s license, so it is covered by the same terms and conditions extending other driver’s license products. Camera cards with expiration dates within this time frame are also extended through June 30, 2020.

Additionally, limited services are available at some Driver License and Photo License Centers. For a list of open driver license and photo license centers and the services provided, as well as their hours of operation, please visit www.dmv.pa.gov.

Customers may continue to complete various transactions and access multiple resources online at www.dmv.pa.gov. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; and driver license and photo ID duplicates. There are no additional fees for using online services.

PennDOT will continue to evaluate these processes and will communicate any changes with the public.

More COVID-19 information is available at www.health.pa.gov. For more information, visit www.dmv.pa.gov or www.PennDOT.gov.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 780 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 69,417

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 27, that there are 780 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 69,417. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

There are 5,265 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 113 new deaths. County-specific information and a statewide map are available here.

Locally in Beaver County we are holding at 570 cases. 3450 people have tested negative and the county remains at 72 deaths.

“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.”

There are 576 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure, which are considered probable cases and not confirmed cases. There are 349,990 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;
• 25% are ages 50-64; and
• 28% 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 14,990 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,528 cases among employees, for a total of 17,518 at 596 distinct facilities in 44 counties. Out of our total deaths, 3,469 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 5,216 of our total cases are in health care workers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Non-life-sustaining businesses in the red phase are ordered to be closed and schools are closed statewide through the remainder of the academic year. Currently, 49 counties are in the yellow phase of reopening. Eight additional counties will move to yellow and 18 to green on May 29. All remaining red counties are expected to move to yellow by June 5.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, May 26:

• Provided an update from Pennsylvania State Police on business closure enforcement actions.
• Announced low-interest loans for those affected by Huntingdon County fire.
• Thanked Pennsylvanians for their part in stopping the spread of COVID-19.
   

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

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials
• Map with the number of COVID-19 cases

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.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Nate Wardle, Health, 717-787-1783

# # #

Police, regulators target businesses flouting Wolf shutdown
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Police and state regulators are cracking down on a handful of Pennsylvania businesses that are supposed to remain shut down but have instead thrown open their doors. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has suspended the operating licenses of two York County diners that resumed dine-in service earlier this month. Two gyms in eastern Pennsylvania have also reopened, with state police already citing one and local police threatening to cite the other.  The Pennsylvania Department of Health, meanwhile, is reporting 13 additional deaths linked to COVID-19, raising the statewide total to 5,152. State health officials also reported that 451 more people have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

AP-NORC poll: Half of Americans would get a COVID-19 vaccine
By LAURAN NEERGAARD and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press
Only about half of Americans say they would get a COVID-19 vaccine if the scientists working furiously to create one succeed. Another 31% simply aren’t sure, while 1 in 5 say they’d refuse. That’s according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Worldwide, about a dozen vaccine candidates are in early stages of testing in people or poised to begin. The findings released Wednesday show the public has a lot of questions. U.S. health officials insist safety is the top priority as the leading vaccine candidates move into larger studies.

Congress weighs choice: ‘Go big’ on virus aid or hit ‘pause’
By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is at a crossroads in the coronavirus crisis. Lawmakers are wrestling over whether to “go big,” as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants, for the next relief bill or hit “pause,” as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insists. As negotiations develop, the coronavirus response offers Congress an opportunity to shape the country’s post-pandemic future. But it also carries the risk of repeating mistakes of past crises, including the 2008-09 recession. The House-passed plan includes $1 trillion to shore up states and cities to avert municipal layoffs, $1,200 stipends to Americans and other aid. The Republican response centers on kick-starting the economy.

As virus ebbs, Wolf touts increased testing, contact tracing
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With 18 Pennsylvania counties preparing to move to the least restrictive phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan, the number of new virus infections continues to fall statewide and officials say they’re making strides in their ability to manage flareups. Wolf says virus testing has increased from 50,000 in the last week of April to nearly 80,000 last week. He says a new contact tracing program is ramping up as well. The Pennsylvania Department of Health, meanwhile, is reporting 13 additional deaths linked to COVID-19, raising the statewide total to 5,152. State health officials also reported that 451 more people have tested positive for the new coronavirus.

Marshall to Reopen Office June 3 Following COVID-19 Closure

 

CHIPPEWA – Rep. Jim Marshall (R-Beaver/Butler) will resume serving residents in person at the district office, 2811 Darlington Road, Suite 1, Beaver Falls, on Wednesday, June 3, following the COVID-19 closure.

Veterans outreach hours will resume on Thursday, July 2, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Pennsylvania American Legion. A service officer from the Legion will be able to assist veterans with a variety of issues including VA claims for disability compensation, veteran or surviving spouse pension, addition of dependents and other veterans’ benefits. Veterans do not need to be a member of the Legion to receive these services.

“My staff and I have been busy helping residents by phone and email for the last number of weeks, but we look forward to serving them again in person very soon,” Marshall said. “I understand that some people prefer to meet in person, especially if they need help with state forms, so we’re happy to have a reopening date.”

Visitors will be required to follow guidelines set by Chippewa Township that call for social distancing and the use of masks.