By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgannpa
The latest map of COVID-19 cases from the Chester County Health department as of May 6. Darker areas mean more cases.
It is increasingly possible that the worst might — might — be over for Pennsylvania in the COVID-19 pandemic as new cases statewide and locally continue to show a slow downward trend.
The state is just days away from beginning to reopen some areas, allowing some businesses and other activities to resume, ending the Stay At Home order in 24 counties — Chester County is not among those counties.
The state Department of Health (DOH) reported Wednesday that 888 new cases were reported in the state on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to 51,845. DOH is reporting 94 new fatalities, bringing the statewide total to 3,106. As of mid-afternoon, Wednesday, the U.S. death toll stood at 71,526 with 1.2 million cases.
“As we prepare to move a number of counties from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders. I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”
Cases in Chester County decline a second straight day, falling to 31 new cases, after County Health reported 42 the day before. County Health reports a total of 156 deaths in the county to date.
With job losses impacting almost everyone, state officials moved this week to outline food assistance programs for those most in need of help.
First Lady Frances Wolf, Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller, and Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding on Wednesday outlined food assistance programs available for Pennsylvanians to enroll in to get them through current COVID-19-induced tough times. They said Pennsylvanians should feel no shame in accepting state and federal food benefits that were, in fact, designed for unprecedented times like the coronavirus pandemic.
“The stigma that exists around accessing food programs is a huge detriment to the health, wellness, and overall safety of Pennsylvanians,” said First Lady Frances Wolf. “While the need for these programs continues to grow during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial that we encourage our fellow Pennsylvanians to use these benefits available to them. Benefits they invested in. Benefits that will keep them nourished and their families whole. We must refrain from shaming them for needing help. If we do, we shame ourselves. The last thing that the Wolf Administration wants to see is a Pennsylvania going hungry because we were shamed and embarrassed to reach out for the help we so desperately need.”
Also, the state on Wednesday announced it would be making available free N95 respirator decontamination to first responders and healthcare facilities and other eligible organizations that may be experiencing a shortage of respirators due to limited availability.
“We are in the midst of an unprecedented shortage of personal protective equipment,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “This critical decontamination service, provided at no cost by the US Department of Health and Human Services (US HHS), gives us another option for making sure that the people at the forefront of this pandemic have the equipment they need to stay safe.”
The Battelle Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS) was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the decontamination and reuse of N95 respirators as needed during a time of crisis. The system uses a vaporous hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate the units.
A single Battelle CCDS site can decontaminate tens of thousands of N95s in a single day. The decontamination process permits the reuse of N95s, and each N95 can be decontaminated up to 20 times before it requires disposal. The US Department of Health and Human Services is funding the operation of multiple Battelle CCDS sites across the country, with one located in Delaware County.
An eligible organization that wishes to use the system for N95 decontamination must register and enter into a use agreement with Battelle, at which time they will receive additional guidance regarding the types of N95s that are allowed and instructions for shipping and delivery. The service is available free of charge for use by eligible organizations – the federal government is absorbing 100% of the cost. The only cost to an eligible organization is for shipping to and from the site.
