COVID-19 cases climb to 15
The Pennsylvania Department of Health this morning confirmed three additional presumptive positive case of COVID-19 — two residents from Bucks County and one from Montgomery County. All are adults and in isolation at home. This brings the statewide total to 15 cases; 13 of the cases are presumptive positive and two cases, the Delaware County and Wayne County cases, have been confirmed by the CDC.
The latest two cases come out of Bucks County, where officials said the individuals live in the same home and are in isolation there with mild symptoms. The duo, according to county officials, had attended an out-of-state gathering where they came in contact with two other people who tested presumptively positive for the virus.
On Tuesday, the state had its first presumptive case in Philadelphia County, with that patient being in isolation at home.
“Isolation and quarantine help protect the public by preventing exposure to people who may have a contagious disease,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Pennsylvanians should know that we are taking every precaution to keep our communities safe. If someone is sick with COVID-19, they are in isolation at home or at a hospital and getting medical care. If someone is in quarantine, they have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 and are at home to limit exposure to the community.”
Isolation separates people who are sick with a contagious disease from people who are not sick. Isolation is usually voluntary, but in an emergency, the department has the authority to isolate people who are sick. Quarantine, meanwhile, separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become sick.
The department is asking patients who are concerned that they or a family member are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to immediately contact their health care provider to determine their next steps.
Symptoms of COVID-19 can include a cough, possibly with a fever and shortness of breath. There were also reports of non-respiratory symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Most people, according to the DOH, recover within a few days. However, some, especially the elderly or people who have a weakened immune system, may develop a more serious infection, such as bronchitis or pneumonia.
Tests must be ordered by a health care provider and the health care provider must collect the specimen to be sent for processing.
An update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says samples take four to six hours to test.
Lehighton cleaning
Several after-school activities in Lehighton Area School District will be postponed over the next week as a deep cleaning of district buildings takes place in the wake of the coronavirus.
Superintendent Jonathan Cleaver sent a letter to parents on Tuesday notifying them that there have been no positive cases of COVID-19 reported to the district, but every precaution will be taken.
After-school activities at the elementary center have been canceled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. There will be no events at the middle school on Saturday and no events at the high school on Sunday.
“As part of the plan to enhance the cleaning within our buildings, special attention will be given to public places and frequently touched surfaces such as keyboards, railings, light switches, door handles and lavatory areas,” Cleaver wrote. “We will continue to assess the length of time needed to perform this deep cleaning process.”
Cleaver said George’s Transportation, the district’s bus company, is also performing additional cleaning on its fleet as part of an effort to assist in controlling the virus.
“We will be assessing the situation on a weekly basis and continue to keep the entire Lehighton Educational Community informed as new information becomes available,” he added. “We hope that by taking the additional measures we can limit our students and staff to the exposure of COVID-19.”