Coronavirus Diagnoses Drop Below 1,000 for Four Days Straight in Pennsylvania

Coronavirus diagnoses fell below 1,000 for the fourth straight day in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, according to Health Secretary Rachel Levine.

The health secretary said the numbers were starting to form a trend, which was positive news, according to Fox 29.

She continued:

As of 12 a.m. this morning, we have 888 new cases of COVID-19. This brings our statewide total to 51,845 Pennsylvanians who have tested positive for COVID-19 in all 67 counties. This includes 3,316 positive cases and healthcare workers. It includes 2,062 positive cases in workers within the food industry at 122 facilities statewide. And it includes 10,010 positive cases among residents of 502 long-term care living facilities, which include nursing homes and personal care homes.

Tragically, we now have 3,106 patients who have passed away who have tested positive for COVID-19. To date, all of our deaths have been in adult patients. As of 10 a.m. today, hospitals are reporting that approximately 2,553 patients are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19. Five hundred and forty-nine of those patients are currently requiring the use of a ventilator or a breathing machine.

The state’s healthcare system also had approximately 46 percent of its hospital beds, 40 percent of intensive care unit beds, and almost 75 percent of its ventilators still available, the secretary noted.

As of Thursday, Pennsylvania recorded 52,915 total cases of the virus, according to the Department of Health’s website. 

“All 67 counties in Pennsylvania are under a Stay at Home Order through May 8. All of Pennsylvania is currently in the red phase. Beginning at 12:01 a.m., Friday, May 8, 24 counties will move from red to yellow,” the site read. 

Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced the creation of the Commonwealth Civilian Coronavirus Corps to increase testing, contact tracing, and “provide critical new job opportunities,” once the economy reopened.

The press release stated:

The Wolf Administration’s continued measured and careful efforts to reopen Pennsylvania will depend on our ability to expand the availability of COVID-19 testing and develop a robust infrastructure to conduct surveillance and contact tracing. This work will allow Pennsylvanians to effectively monitor and respond to new cases and quantify mitigation efforts.

It will help our phased reopening efforts while ensuring that the health care system does not become overwhelmed and that the transmission of disease continues to slow.

Despite the governor’s stay-at-home orders, Gorilla House Gym owners Ray and Angela Ross reopened their business Friday in Blair County.

“No one allowed us to do this,” Ray said. “We did this on our own. We just decided to do it. We didn’t ask permission to do it. We just did it, and we’re going to keep doing it. Someone had to take a stand. Enough is enough.”

Tuesday, Blair County reported just 25 cases of the disease, according to Breitbart News.

“The governor keeps pushing back the opening day, and it’s pretty obvious this has turned political. Nurses are being laid off, and the hospitals are not overrun,” Ray concluded.