The following is the latest COVID-19 information from Pennsylvania state government as of 4:00 p.m. on Monday, April 12th.

Governor Wolf

Effective Tuesday, April 13, all Pennsylvania adults will be eligible to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.  This is six days earlier than the administration previously stated.  Learn more from this Wolf administration news release.  The announcement does not affect the city of Philadelphia, which intends to follow to its plan to broaden eligibility next Monday, April 19.

Department of Health

  • The Department of Health has updated its infection prevention and control recommendations for health care settings that was last revised in September of 2020.  Changes and additions are noted in red throughout the document.
  • The Department of Health has announced a partnership with Latino Connection and Highmark Blue Shield to launch the first statewide COVID-19 mobile vaccination clinic tour to provide vaccinations and education targeting minority and underserved communities.  The program will include mobile units to conduct a statewide vaccination and education tour; a Facebook page to register for vaccines; and 100 events in corner stores and bodegas where individuals who do not have access to the internet, or who are in need of assistance, can pre-register for vaccines.  Learn more from this Department of Health news release.
  • The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and Department of Health announced the opening of a regional vaccination clinic on Penn State’s University Park campus in Centre County.  Initially this site is expected to administer 600 doses a day.  Go here for information on location, hours, and how to sign up for vaccines.
  • The Department of Health has established a new free COVID-19 test site in Monroe County.  The site will be open through April 18.  For information about hours and location, go here.

Pennsylvania State MapDepartment of Health – by the numbers

  • The daily number of new COVID-19 cases has risen in the past two months and remains high.
  • Despite the rising number of new COVID-19 cases, daily death totals continue to decline and have been in single digits for four of the past nine days.
  • For the week from April 2 through April 8 the state’s overall COVID-19 test positivity rate remained the same 9.5 percent it was last week, halting a three-week rise in this important measure.
  • The number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with COVID-19, in hospital ICUs because of COVID-19, and on ventilators because of COVID-19 all continue to rise slightly.
  • Currently, 19 percent of adult ICU beds in the state are unoccupied, as are 16 percent of medical/surgical beds, 12 percent of pediatric ICU beds, 26 percent of pediatric beds, and 35 percent of airborne isolation units.
  • According to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, 2.4 million Pennsylvanians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and an additional 363,000 people have been vaccinated in Philadelphia, according to the city’s Department of Public Health.

Department of Human Services

DHS has announced that the state will work with Walgreens to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to staff and residents of congregate care settings licensed by DHS that were not part of the federal Pharmacy Partnership Program.  This program is expected to vaccinate approximately 2200 people living at 100 facilities through mid-April.  Learn more from this DHS news release.

Around the State

  • Allegheny County has opened its first COVID-19 clinic in the Mon Valley, according to WESA radio.  It is expected to administer up to 200 vaccines a day and will focus on people facing barriers to access to care.
  • Demand for COVID-19 vaccines in Erie County has fallen and fewer people are struggling to schedule appointments, the Erie Times-News reports.
  • FEMA’s mass vaccination clinic at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia is scheduled to close on April 26 and four members of the state’s congressional delegation are asking the White House to keep it open.  Currently the clinic is administering about 6000 vaccines a day, making it the single largest provider of vaccines in the city.  The Philadelphia Inquirer tells the story.
  • The Billy Penn web site features a map and a list detailing more than 200 sites in Philadelphia where people can get COVID-19 vaccines.  Most are by appointment only, and the site also features information about different ways to search for vaccine appointments.