Coronavirus update for Tuesday, May 26 as of 2:30 p.m.

Pennsylvania Update

The Wolf Administration

Last Friday Governor Wolf announced that eight more counties would move to the yellow phase of reopening on May 29; 17 counties that were already in the yellow phase would move to green that same day; and the remaining counties still in the red phase would move to yellow on June 5.  That latter group includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties.

Department of Health

Department of Health – by the numbers

  • The department reported that the number of new COVID-19 cases over the holiday weekend remained modest by the standard of recent weeks and fell under 500 a day for the past two days.
  • The new daily death totals fell significantly over the holiday weekend, from more than 100 a day for several days last week to just 56 over the last three days combined.
  • 551 Pennsylvanians have now tested positive on serology tests.
  • More than 17,000 residents and employees of 594 long-term-care facilities have now tested positive for COVID-19.
  • As have more than 5100 health care workers.
  • As of today, 1628 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized for COVID-19.
  • 320 of them are on ventilators and 16 are undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).
  • 45 percent of state hospitals’ acute-care beds, 38 percent of its adult ICU beds, and 24 percent of its pediatric ICU beds are currently unoccupied, as are 53 percent of their isolation rooms.

Department of Human Services

DHS’s Office of Children, Youth and Families has issued guidance regarding the suspension of regulatory requirements for its licensees during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Recipients of the guidance include county children and youth agencies, private children and youth social services agencies, family foster care agencies, adoption services agencies, child residential and day treatment facilities, and child welfare service providers.

Federal Update

Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Health and Human Services/Office of the Inspector General

HHS’s Office of the Inspector General has announced the release of its strategic plan for oversight of the COVID-19 response and recovery. Go here for the announcement and here to see the plan itself.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Food and Drug Administration

National Institutes of Health

The NIH has issued a media advisory sharing the preliminary results of peer-reviewed data from clinical trials to test the effectiveness of remdesivir for treating COVID-19. A more detailed preliminary report also can be found in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Resources to Consult

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Main COVID-19 Page

COVID-19 Provider Resources

Press Releases

Pennsylvania Department of Health

Main COVID-19 Page

PA Health Alert Network

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Main COVID-19 Page

FAQ

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