Pennsylvania sees its first coronavirus death
Pennsylvania saw its first coronavirus death Wednesday of a hospitalized adult from Northampton County in a state where the number of people with the illness continued to rise, the state Health Department said.
Gov. Tom Wolf said the death was the “first in what will become many” during a 5:30 p.m. livestream from his home.
He also said the death “demonstrates the severity of COVID-19.”
“I come to you with a heavy heart,” Wolf said, while urging Pennsylvania businesses to follow his guidance and close to prevent the spread of the virus.
Washington County saw no increase Wednesday in the number of coronavirus cases, where the number of people with the virus stood at two.
Allegheny County saw two additional cases overnight, taking its number to a dozen, the county’s Health Department said Wednesday.
“Most importantly stay calm, stay home and stay safe,” state Health Department Secretary Rachel Levine said at a 2 p.m. briefing on the virus.
The total rose to 133 in the state, an increase of 37 new cases overnight, with Montgomery County at the epicenter of the disease with 42 cases as of noon Wednesday.
So far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports more than 7,000 cases of the illness, including about 100 deaths, across the country.
During a webinar held by the CDC on Wednesday, Dr. Jay Butler, deputy director of the agency, said health officials don’t know at this point how long the pandemic will continue. He said the health care system was better able to handle the outbreak if the disease spreads more slowly.
“In many ways, we want the pandemic to spread out over as long as possible,” Butler said, going on to describe that outcome as “flattening the curve,” meaning, “we want the pandemic to affect as few people as possible in any given period of time.”
For example, he said, more lives would be in danger if a community’s health care system was overwhelmed by 10,000 cases on an illness in two weeks, versus the same number of cases over three or four months.
Because flu season is still occurring, Butler said most patients with flu-like symptoms will probably not have COVID-19.
He said that with flu season, someone with respiratory symptoms “most likely” doesn’t have COVID-19. Most cases of the illness are mild, he added.
“So it’s important that everybody with a runny nose doesn’t come running to the emergency department,” Butler said. “It’s wise, though, to be on alert for the more severe symptoms. So a very high fever, shortness of breath, tightness or fullness in the chest – those are the kinds of things that may reflect that there’s a more serious manifestation.”
If someone experiences those symptoms, Butler recommended that they call their provider or emergency department in advance to get instructions on how to receive care without risking exposure to others.
Levine said there is a “potential for a likely surge” of coronavirus cases in the state, that her department was working with stakeholders to increase the number of beds in hospitals and find creative alternatives for new spaces for patients. She also said the state was working to obtain more respirators.
She began the briefing by reminding those who travel home from other countries with higher levels of the virus to remain in quarantine and monitor their symptoms.
In Pennsylvania, 1,187 people who have been tested for the virus saw negative results, the state Health Department said.
Washington Hospital said Wednesday that it hasn’t treated anyone with the virus.
“While Washington Health System cannot comment on any specific case, for privacy reasons, we can tell you that as of now we have not had any positive COVID-19 test results, system spokeswoman Stephanie Wagoner said.
“There have been several patients screened based on their clinical presentation and in accordance with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines,” Wagoner said.