Pennsylvania announces 75,592 cases of COVID-19; 5,943 deaths

Governor Wolf speaks about further lifting coronavirus restrictions in PA

Governor Wolf addresses the counties moving to different phases of reopening in PA during press conference Friday.

PHILADELPHIA - The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania has risen to 75,592 with 5,943 reported fatalities.

The rise in cases is attributed to 506 additional new positive cases and 12 new deaths.

All sixty-seven counties, including Philadelphia, have entered at least the second stage of the three-tiered economic reopening plan. Some counties in the central and northern parts of the state with low coronavirus case numbers and small populations have already entered the green phase.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher than the state’s confirmed case count because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. There is no data on how many people have fully recovered.

Governor Wolf announces new plan to reopen PA

Governor Wolf announces a new plan to reopen PA and its businesses

A county-by-county breakdown of cases to-date is below.

___

CASES

Below is a breakdown of the cases by county:

– Adams County: 273, including 8 deaths

– Allegheny County: 2,003, including 168 deaths

– Armstrong County: 65, including 5 deaths

– Beaver County: 603, including 74 deaths

– Bedford County: 44, including 2 deaths

– Berks County: 4,201, including 333 deaths

– Blair County: 53, including 1 death

– Bradford County: 46, including 3 deaths

– Bucks County: 5,261, including 529 deaths

– Butler County: 247, including 12 deaths

– Cambria County: 59, including 2 deaths

– Cameron County: 2

– Carbon County: 249, including 24 deaths

– Centre County: 156, including 7 deaths

– Chester County: 3,053, including 297 deaths

– Clarion County: 27, including 2 deaths

– Clearfield County: 44

– Clinton County: 60, including 3 deaths

– Columbia County: 364, including 31 deaths

– Crawford County: 30

– Cumberland County: 669, including 57 deaths

– Dauphin County: 1,481, including 91 deaths

-- Delaware County: 6,688, including 597 deaths

– Elk County: 6

– Erie County: 367, including 5 deaths

– Fayette County: 95, including 4 deaths

– Forest County: 7

– Franklin County: 795, including 39 deaths

– Fulton County: 16, including 1 death

– Greene County: 27

– Huntingdon County: 236, including 4 deaths

– Indiana County: 92, including 5 deaths

– Jefferson County: 16

– Juniata County: 97, including 4 deaths

– Lackawanna County: 1,583, including 187 deaths

– Lancaster County: 3,461, including 318 deaths

– Lawrence County: 85, including 8 deaths

– Lebanon County: 1,062, including 37 deaths

– Lehigh County: 3,858, including 248 deaths

– Luzerne County: 2,793, including 157 deaths

– Lycoming County: 167, including 17 deaths

– Mckean County: 13, including 1 death

– Mercer County: 111, including 6 deaths

– Mifflin County: 59, including 1 death

– Monroe County: 1,338, including 102 deaths

– Montgomery County: 7,582, including 725 deaths

– Montour County: 53

– Northampton County: 3,151, including 232 deaths

– Northumberland County: 209, including 3 deaths

– Perry County: 68, including 3 deaths

– Philadelphia County: 23,281, including 1,394 deaths (statistics from City of Philadelphia)

– Pike County: 482, including 20 deaths

– Potter County: 11

– Schuylkill County: 656, including 39 deaths

– Snyder County: 55, including 1 death

– Somerset County: 39, including 1 death

– Sullivan County: 3

– Susquehanna County: 148, including 16 deaths

– Tioga County: 19, including 2 deaths

– Union County: 73, including 2 death

– Venango County: 15

– Warren County: 5

– Washington County: 147, including 6 deaths

– Wayne County: 126, including 9 deaths

– Westmoreland County: 459, including 38 deaths

– Wyoming County: 34, including 7 deaths

– York County: 1,082, including 29 deaths

NURSING HOMES

Nearly 50 Pennsylvania nursing homes have reported 20 or more deaths related to COVID-19, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health.

After weeks of delay, state health officials released a list of 557 long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania reporting cases of the novel coronavirus among residents or staff.

Nursing homes and personal care homes have struggled for months to contain the virus, with residents of the facilities accounting for more than two-thirds of the state’s overall death toll of 4,624.

The state’s worst nursing home outbreak is at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, near the Ohio border, where 358 residents and 25 workers have contracted the virus. Brighton has reported 76 deaths. The Health Department has installed a temporary manager at Brighton, and the National Guard has been sent there and to other nursing homes with severe outbreaks.

Most of the other homes reporting 20 or more deaths are clustered in the eastern half of the state, where the virus has been more prevalent in the population as a whole.

Health officials had been under mounting pressure to name long-term care facilities with virus cases, with the state’s chief fiscal watchdog, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, urging greater transparency. Health Department officials had said they were weighing the public’s right to know against patient privacy and the dictates of state law.

The Health Department still held back some information from Tuesday's release, redacting data from facilities reporting 1 to 4 infections or deaths. Officials cited patients' right to privacy for the decision.

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia officials announced 126 new cases of coronavirus bringing the city's total to 23,407 as of Tuesday. The city also reported 17 new deaths bringing the total to 1,411.

While the daily count has remained low over the past few days, city officials made it clear that some labs do not report results over the weekend, and the city has not yet received all backlogged results.

Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley stated last week that the city has seen a drop in daily case counts and attributed the good news to social distancing.

Officials shut down Philadelphia's emergency field hospital, located at The Liacouras Center at Temple University.

Anyone with questions about COVID-19 can call the city's free 24/7 helpline at 1-800-722-7112.

Residents can also text the keyword COVIDPHL to 888-777 to receive updates through ReadyPhiladelphia, the city's mass communication system.

The city also continues to operate more than 80 student meal sites.

Philadelphia residents who have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak have access to free food boxes through community food sites.

Residents can pick up a box of food on Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at sites throughout the city. One box is limited per household. Residents do not need to present an ID or proof of income for eligibility.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (Office of Gov. Tom Wolf)

REOPENING PENNSYLVANIA

Gov. Wolf will lift most of his pandemic restrictions in an additional 16 counties home to nearly 3 million people, including much of the Pittsburgh area, his office said Friday as afflicted Philadelphia also began mapping its way out of the crisis.

The counties are in western and central Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland.

They will move next Friday to the so-called “green” phase, which has the fewest restrictions in the governor’s stoplight-colored three-phase reopening plan.

Meanwhile Friday, 26 more counties woke up to fewer restrictions, announced a week ago by the Democratic governor.

Wolf has said that next Friday he will move the remaining “red” counties — Philadelphia, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton — to yellow.

Philadelphia officials said Friday that they are carefully wading into restrictions, precautions and what needs to be monitored moving into the yellow phase tentatively next Friday.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Impact of COVID-19 in the Delaware Valley so far

More Pennsylvania counties see pandemic restrictions lifted

How to spot the difference between the flu and coronavirus

CDC’s ‘flatten the curve’ graphic shows why social distancing is necessary

Wolf has cautioned that a declining case count is just one factor that officials will consider in deciding whether a region of the state is ready to begin emerging from the pandemic. The availability of diagnostic testing, the capacity of the health care system and the ability to quickly identify and contain flareups through what’s known as contact tracing will also play a role.

Wolf’s reopening plan divides counties into six geographic regions, where shutdown rules may be relaxed once fewer than one person in 2,000 has been infected over the past two weeks.

Twitter: @GovernorTomWolf

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT COVID-19

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

The vast majority who have been infected with the virus have recovered.

RELATED COVERAGE:

Where to access free food in Philadelphia during COVID-19 pandemic

Outdoor dining allowed in Pennsylvania yellow phase counties starting June 5; professional sports to resume

Interactive map tracks spread of COVID-19 globally

The Centers for Disease Control has tripled the number of symptoms that could be indicators of coronavirus.

New symptoms include chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.

(Pexels)

STATE TAX RELIEF

The Wolf administration said it’s easing up on tax enforcement during the pandemic.

The Department of Revenue said it will pause payments on existing payment plans on request; offer flexible terms for new payment plans; suspend or reduce automatic enforcement of liens, wage garnishments and use of private collection agencies; and take other steps to offer relief to individual and business taxpayers.

The measures will last through at least July 15, the agency said Wednesday.

The Department of Revenue previously extended the deadline for taxpayers to file their 2019 Pennsylvania personal income tax returns from April 15 to July 15.