2 more presumed cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania brings state total to 4, Gov. Tom Wolf says
Shelly StallsmithTwo new presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania were confirmed by Gov. Tom Wolf late Saturday afternoon.
“These new cases bring our total of presumptive positive cases to four in Pennsylvania,” Wolf said in a news release. “Even with these new cases, I want to reassure Pennsylvanians that the commonwealth is prepared and responding appropriately and swiftly so that information and resources are available.”
Wolf said both individuals are from Montgomery County, have mild symptoms, are in isolation at home and were exposed to an area of the U.S. where the virus is present.
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“I have been coordinating with legislative leaders from both parties, and we have agreed to immediately work toward a package that would provide resources to ensure we are aggressively mitigating the spread of COVID-19,” he said.
The release said those resources would help mitigate the spread and strengthen state and local efforts by:
- Supporting county and municipal health departments;
- Securing necessary equipment and personnel;
- Securing personal protective equipment;
- Disseminating public health messaging; and
- Supporting care for seniors, the most at-risk population.
Wolf said officials anticipate that there will be more Pennsylvanians testing positive for the virus in the coming days and weeks, but stresses that the commonwealth is prepared.
“We are working with the health care community and local community leaders across Pennsylvania to keep them informed, consult on patient testing and ensuring they have the resources they need to care for patients,” Wolf said. “We are prepared to mitigate the spread of this virus in Pennsylvania.”
The first two presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in the state were announced Friday.
One adult in Wayne County and another in Delaware County are said to have mild symptoms and are in isolation at home.
Presumptive positive means the tests have been confirmed at a state lab, but not by the CDC.
State Health Secretary Rachel Levine said in a news conference after the first two cases were confirmed on Friday, that she was not aware of any tests performed at the state level that were later found by the CDC to be incorrect.
“We anticipated this very scenario and have been preparing for Pennsylvanians to become impacted by this virus,” Wolf said in a news conference Friday. “This is not the first rapidly spreading virus we have faced in our commonwealth, and it will not be the last. We are prepared to mitigate the spread of this virus.”
Pennsylvania will be able to test up to about 150 cases per day by this weekend, Levine said.
Wolf said he will make a general disaster declaration for the state to improve the ability to work across agencies and improve the coordinated response needed for this public health emergency.
Lawmakers call for location of positive cases
According to a report on PennLive.com, Sens. Tim Kearny (D-Delaware) and Tom Killion (R-Delaware) asked in a letter for Secretary Levine that the municipalities be named where someone has tested positive.
"This information serves the interest of public safety and transparency without substantially infringing on this individual's right to privacy," their letter said.
They said releasing that information could help calm community concerns.
Keep up to date on coronavirus
The state Department of Health has established a section of its website for updates and guidance on dealing with the spread of the coronavirus.
“As this situation evolves, we will continually update Pennsylvanians through our website, health.pa.gov, our Facebook page and our Twitter account,” Levine said in a news release Friday. “It’s important to remember that the most accurate and timely information regarding this outbreak is available through the Department of Health.”
Anyone in Pennsylvania who thinks they might have been exposed to the virus should call their primary care physician and coordinate whether and how to be tested. A lab in Exton is able to quickly assess whether a sample is positive for COVID-19, and the patient does not need to pay for that test, Levine said. Tests are forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for verification.
No one, she said, should be denied a test for COVID-19 because of the cost.
Beware price gouging
Attorney General Josh Shapiro tweeted a warning to merchants and consumers on Friday afternoon.
"Governor Tom Wolf's COVID-19 disaster declaration triggered protections under state law against price gouging for consumers and businesses," the tweet reads.
Under rules governing a disaster emergency, "companies and vendors are prohibited from charging a price for consumer goods or services that exceeds 20 percent of the average price to which those goods or services were sold for in the seven days preceding the date of declaration," a news release from the AG's office said.
"Merchants should be put on notice: you cannot use a public health emergency as a business opportunity."
Consumers who suspect merchants of raising prices to take advantage of the health emergency are encouraged to contact the attorney general's office at pricegouging@attorneygeneral.gov.
Shapiro said the email address was created to protect Pennsylvanians from "being taken advantage of."
Shelly Stallsmith is a trends reporter for the York Daily Record. She can be reached at mstallsmith@ydr.com or followed on Twitter at @ShelStallsmith.