COVID-19-testing
Nursing home testing, community spread driving slight uptick in COVID-19 cases, officials say
Pennsylvania health officials confirmed 600 new cases of COVID-19 statewide on Friday, capping off a seven-day stretch that saw case counts trend upward for the first time in June – a reversal that health officials are attributing to expanded testing in nursing homes and to sustained community spread statewide.
Wolf: ‘We need to redouble our efforts’ on fighting COVID-19
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified Pennsylvania as one of three states on a downward trajectory in COVID-19 cases for 42 consecutive days.Since then, cases in some parts of the state have spiked.
Pa. Health Dept opens 10 new COVID-19 testing sites in WalMart parking lots
The drive-thru testing sites are located in Walmart parking lots and are available at no-cost. There are currently 19 Walmart testing sites statewide.
Levine orders nursing homes to complete universal testing by July 24
The order from Pennsylvania’s Department of Health is being issued, Levine said, to “rapidly detect asymptomatic residents and staff.”
Levine: Pa. to partner with WalMart, Quest Diagnostics on COVID-19 testing efforts
Tests will be available Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Advance registration will be required, officials said.
Black docs: Philly has shortchanged the African-American community
By Michael D’Onofrio PHILADELPHIA — The Kenney administration has shortchanged the African-American community in its response to the novel coronavirus that has cost Black lives, says a pediatric surgeon working to provide free COVID-19 testing in the region. On Thursday afternoon, Dr. Ala Stanford, leader of the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, said Mayor Jim Kenney […]
Department of Health walks back comments on testing data
Health Department spokesman Nate Wardle told the Capital-Star in an email that he made a mistake when he said Thursday that an unknown number of Pennsylvania's 300,000 negative COVID-19 test results came from antibody tests, rather than the diagnostic tests that are considered the “gold standard” for disease control.
Levine thanks first responders, addresses Atlantic report after technical issues thwart Wednesday briefing
With the county observing National Emergency Medical Services Week this week, Levine began the briefing by thanking Pennsylvania’s more than 42,000 first responders.
Without comprehensive testing, detention facilities will become epicenters of the pandemic | Opinion
More than 20,000 people in detention have been infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and more than 300 have died from their infection.
Amid calls for her dismissal, Health Secretary Levine says Pa. is evolving its strategies to fight COVID-19
Health Secretary Dr, Rachel Levine said she “[remains] committed to protecting the citizens of Pennsylvania, whether they agree with me or not.”
COVID-19 in Philly: City officials say they’re working with minority leaders on testing
Managing Director Brian Abernathy said officials expect to use all $85 million the City Council appropriated for coronavirus response and relief.
Pa. health chief says state is ‘doing well’ on contact tracing as counties reopen. But others fear we’re lagging
“We're just not doing enough,” Dr. Ping Du, a professor of epidemiology at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, who argued that Pennsylvania wouldn’t be seeing an average of 960 new COVID-19 cases per day, as it has in the last week, if it had a robust system of tracers.