Mar 23, 2020 2 min read

State Health Secretary Rachel Levine shed some light during her briefing Sunday afternoon as to why rural areas in Pennsylvania have been mostly spared from positive COVID-19 cases.

“It’s really important that everyone in Pennsylvania doesn’t let their guard down,” the secretary said. “Rural Pennsylvania has not seen as many cases because there’s a lower population density. Each day, we see more counties with cases.

“It’s important to not be complacent. This disease can be deadly.”

As of Sunday afternoon, 33 of the commonwealth’s 67 counties had at least one confirmed positive case – up from 28 Saturday. The more densely populated counties of Philadelphia (91), Montgomery (87), Delaware (43) and Allegheny (40) had the most cases across the state.

Washington, which isn’t as rural as it once was but still has an agrarian flavor, had a relatively low number of cases at seven. In other Southwestern Pennsylvania counties where farming remains more prevalent Westmoreland has four cases and Beaver has three, while Butler and Fayette have one each. Greene and Somerset counties each have yet to have a positive case.

Erie, in the state’s northwest corner, has two positive cases in a largely rural county – despite having a substantially sized city, Erie. That also is the case in the southeast, where York County has the city of York, but only 10 cases countywide; and where Lancaster County, with Lancaster, has six positive COVID-19 cases.

Adams County, where Gettysburg and farms dominate the flat landscape, has five cases.

The department website also showed there had been 4,964 negative and 479 positive tests and two deaths as of Sunday at 5 p.m.

Levine also addressed a range of questions, including the incidence of mild and severe cases. She said about 10% of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania, and nationwide, are considered to be mild; 4% require intensive care; and 2% call for a ventilator.

The secretary, who also is a pediatrician and parent, addressed several child-related queries. She was most adamant that, “We don’t want you to have play dates. This will expose children and parents to others and could spread the illness.”

Levine also warned Pennsylvanians to stay away from at-home tests for the virus, that they could prove to be false positive or false negative.

“I don’t recommend any test that has not been approved by the (Food and Drug Administration,” she said.