On Sunday, Pennsylvanians may have noticed a significant jump in new deaths in the state due to COVID-19.
The number does not indicate a sudden rise in deaths, but rather a reconciliation of data from different sources, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine explained in a livestream update on Sunday, when additional 276 deaths were reported.
In contrast to Sunday, the state reported 80 new deaths on Saturday, 49 on Friday, 60 on Thursday and 63 on Wednesday.
Of the 276 deaths, she said, “These deaths did not happen overnight. They did not occur in the last 24 hours.” Eight of the 276 deaths happened more than two weeks ago, 138 happened between April 5-11, and 148 happened within the last week.
Levine explained they have been working to reconcile data from different sources, including the NEDSS data reporting system and county municipal health departments.
“Today, the increase in deaths is a culmination of that data-validating effort,” she said.
The total deaths statewide since March 6 is 1,112.
The state Department of Health also reported 1,215 new cases, bringing the new total number of people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 to 32,284 in Pennsylvania. Of those who tested positive, 1,618 are healthcare workers.
Levine indicated that the number of people with COVID-19 has not at this point overwhelmed the health care system, saying that about 45% of hospital beds, 39% of intensive care beds and nearly 70% of ventilators in Pennsylvania are still available.
According to Levine, “Trends are showing that Pennsylvanians sacrifice to stay at home is working.”
During the livestream update, Levine also answered questions about the new masking order and reopening plan.
Since 8 p.m. Sunday, an order has been in place in Pennsylvania requiring that employees and customers wear cloth masks in public places, among other protective measures.
In answering a question about whether there will be penalties for not wearing masks, Levine said that for now, if somebody goes into a store without a mask, they might just be asked to leave. She suggested that, “Perhaps over time that might stiffen.”
Regarding oversight of businesses, Levine said that state officials “strongly feel Pennsylvanians want to do the right thing and they will do the right thing, and that’s, of course, including our fantastic businesses.
She added that stores who are found to be regularly violating the order might see a warning from local authorities.
While details on the forming reopening plan were not available on Sunday, Levine did say, “It’s not going to be one grand reopening. It’s going to be in a specific county or region. It’s going to be a very careful progressive process.”
She noted they will continue watching the situation during the process for any outbreaks.
“We definitely are making plans right now to be able to do testing in regions that we’re considering having a lessening of the social distancing, and then to (diagnose) patients with COVID-19, have isolation, contact tracing of those persons’ contacts and then quarantine,” Levine said. “And so the plans of how we are going to do that we are working on as we speak, and certainly they’ll be fleshed out before any relaxation of social distancing in a county or region in Pennsylvania. I have said many times that its not going to be statewide all at once.”
With reports that people will gather in Harrisburg today to protest business closures, a reporter asked Levine about any penalties protesters might face.
Levine responded that, as secretary of health, she has no comment on legal activities.
However, she did express “medical concerns for the protesters themselves” if they were to engage in behaviors such as getting out of their cars, shaking hands and not keeping their hands clean. If they stay in their cars, she “wouldn’t expect particular public health implications.”
