Elk County has had 60 positive cases of COVID-19 to date, according to the state Department of Health.

The increase of two cases was reported with Wednesday’s information. The county has had 2,017 negative tests.

Potter County’s positive case count increased by one to 22, and the county has had 901 negative tests.

McKean County’s case count remains unchanged at 34, with 3,499 negative tests. And Cameron County has had 8 cases, with 371 negative tests.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed there were 570 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 126,149,

The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between August 12 and August 18 is 159,689 with 5,298 positive cases. There were 21,835 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., Aug. 18. These results represent the total number of tests administered.

There are 7,523 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 24 new deaths reported.

The health department announced it is conducting a pilot program for a new COVID-19 exposure-notification app, COVID Alert PA, which will be available to smartphone users in early September.

The app is designed to help bolster the state’s contact-tracing efforts, not replace them. Case investigations and contact tracing are still needed.

The department is partnering with the state of Delaware, along with NearForm, University of Pennsylvania and MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Internet Privacy Research Institute (PRI) to build the mobile app that will alert individuals of a possible exposure if they have been in close contact with a COVID-19 positive individual.

“This innovative solution will not replace our traditional contact tracing process, but it will enhance our COVID-19 response and give residents another tool to stay calm, stay alert and stay safe,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “By utilizing this technology, we can quickly notify more people who have been exposed to COVID-19. We hope when this app is available, Pennsylvanians will do the right thing and download, use it and continue to remain alert as we continue to fight this virus.”

In September, interested people can find the COVID Alert PA app for free to download in the Google Play store or Apple App store. This app is voluntary, but the more Pennsylvanians age 18 and older who adopt the app, the more successful efforts can be, Levine said.

During a COVID-19 case investigation interview, the public health staff will ask if they have the app available and provide a six-digit validation code that the app user can upload and confirm their COVID-19 diagnosis. After the validation is completed, the app will use a push notification and send out an Exposure Alert to any individuals who came in close contact with someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The app does not enable any location services and is designed to be completely anonymous.