The Department of Health launched an online dashboard to show county progress as Pennsylvania moves through the COVID-19 phased reopening plan. The dashboard breaks down four main categories that are used to determine if a county can move into the next phase of reopening.
“As the dashboard shows, there are several metrics used to determine if it is safe for a county to reopen to the next phase,” Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. “We too, want to get back to a normal life. However, we need the help of all Pennsylvanians to make that happen. By taking simple steps, like continuing to wear a mask, staying home when sick, and implementing social distancing, we can help eliminate the spread of COVID-19 and help Pennsylvania fully reopen in a safe and efficient manner.”
The dashboard shows metrics used to help identify if a county can reopen to the next phase, including:
- Stable, decreasing, or low confirmed case counts, past two weeks compared to previous two weeks;
- Contacts of case are being monitored;
- PCR positivity rate <10% in past 14 days; and,
- Hospital bed use is 90% or lower per district population.
Throughout the phased reopening, the administration’s criteria for moving to the green phase has been that after a county transitions to the yellow phase, the Department of Health will closely monitor for increased risk, such as significant outbreaks. If overall risk remains mitigated for fourteen days, the county will transition to the green phase. This dashboard is an effort to quantify mitigation for counties.
The state also continues to use risk-based metrics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Effective at 12:01 a.m. on June 5, 16 more counties moved into the green phase. Counties include Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland. They join 18 other counties that moved to green on May 29.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Diarrhea
- Chills
- Repeating shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure. Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.
As of 12:00 a.m., June 5, there were 74,385 positive cases of COVID-19 statewide in 67 counties and 5,886 confirmed deaths. Most of the patients hospitalized are 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 and older. There have been no pediatric deaths to date. More data is available here.
For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.
The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
- Clean surfaces frequently.
- Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
- If you must go out for a life-sustaining reason, please wear a mask.
All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies.
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