COVID-19 UPDATE: Resources, information, and helpful tips to protect you and your family!
Senator Fontana Hosts a Telephone Town Hall on the Coronavirus
Senator Fontana Hosts a Telephone Town Hall on the Coronavirus
LIVE daily briefings from the PA Department of Health:
pacast.com/live/doh or www.governor.pa.gov/live/ or watch on Facebook
Vaccine Information
I co-hosted a virtual townhall on January 11, 2021 with Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine and officials from PEMA and the PA Department of Health who are responsible for overseeing the rollout of the COVID vaccine.
Latest News
Fontana: Grant Will Boost Pedestrian Upgrades to Allegheny Circle
HARRISBURG, April 21, 2021 – Continued improvements to North Side’s Allegheny Circle will receive a state grant for pedestrian upgrades, state Sen. Wayne Fontana announced today. “A modern city is a walkable city and this grant will help bring that vision to Allegheny...
Gov. Wolf Visits the Guthrie Clinic to Talk Vaccine Progress, Hesitancy and Rural Reach
Governor Tom Wolf today visited the Guthrie Health vaccine clinic in Sayre, Bradford County today to tour this clinic providing vaccines to a large swath of rural residents and to talk about progress in vaccinating Pennsylvanians now that eligibility is open to all...
Department Of Health: Over 7.4 Million Vaccinations To Date, First Doses Of Vaccine To 43.9% Of Population, PA Ranks 11th Among 50 States For First Dose Vaccinations
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 21, there were 4,602 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,118,470. There are 2,833 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that...
L&I Acting Secretary Urges $12 Minimum Wage Increase With A Path To $15 To Benefit Pandemic Frontline Workers In Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier was joined by Rep. Kyle Mullins, Rep. Marty Flynn and Scranton homecare worker Dominick Cutro today to call for an increase to Pennsylvania's minimum wage to $12 per...
Department Of Health Offers Update On COVID-19 Investigations, Contact Tracing, Monitoring Efforts
Harrisburg, PA - The Department of Health (DOH) today shared a weekly update on Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 case investigation and contact tracing data, encouraging Pennsylvanians to download the COVID Alert PA app, as more than 873,000 have already done, to aid in...
Department Of Health: Over 7.2 Million Vaccinations To Date, First Doses Of Vaccine To 43.4% Of Population, PA Ranks 10th Among 50 States For First Dose Vaccinations
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 20, there were 4,577 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,113,868. There are 2,705 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that...
Pennsylvania COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard Update For April 9 – 15
Harrisburg, PA - Governor Tom Wolf and Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System dashboard, highlighting a seven-day case...
Pennsylvania COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard Update for April 9 – 15
Governor Tom Wolf and Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam released a weekly status update detailing the state’s mitigation efforts based on the COVID-19 Early Warning Monitoring System dashboard, highlighting a seven-day case increase of 24,394 cases, a...
Gov. Wolf Awards More Than $13 Million for Homelessness Assistance and Prevention
Governor Tom Wolf announced more than $13 million in funding awards to assist in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on families and individuals experiencing homelessness and to prevent future homelessness across the commonwealth. “While the effects of the COVID-19...
Department Of Health: Over 7.1 Million Vaccinations To Date, First Doses Of Vaccine To 43.2% Of Population, PA Ranks 10th Among 50 States For First Dose Vaccinations
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 19, there were 1,914 additional positive cases of COVID-19, in addition to 3,761 new cases reported Sunday, April 18, for a two-day total of 5,675 additional positive...
Department Of Health: Over 6.9 Million Vaccinations To Date, First Doses Of Vaccine To 42% Of Population, PA Ranks 10th Among 50 States For First Dose Vaccinations
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 17, that there were 5,114 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,103,616. There are 2,653 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of...
Department Of Health: Over 6.8 Million Vaccinations To Date, First Doses Of Vaccine To 41.3% Of Population, PA Ranks 10th Among 50 States For First Dose Vaccinations
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 16, there were 5,650 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,098,502. There are 2,577 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that...
Gov. Wolf Visits Penn State Health Vaccination Clinic, Discusses Vaccine Rollout Progress, Encourages Everyone to Get Vaccinated
Pennsylvania’s accelerated COVID-19 vaccine rollout is making a difference in stopping the virus and saving lives. With more than 6.7 million COVID-19 vaccinations to date in Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today visited the Penn State Health vaccination clinic in...
Department Of State: Disaster Declaration Enables Pandemic-Related Waivers To Allow More Licensees To Provide Vital Care
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of State today outlined various COVID-19-related waivers made possible by the governor's disaster declaration that have enabled more healthcare professionals to provide needed services during the pandemic. "Over the...
Fontana Announces $1.3 Million for Local Transportation Projects
Harrisburg, April 16, 2021 – A local rail freight project will receive nearly $1 million in funding from a state program aimed at improving transportation safety and efficiency, state Sen. Wayne Fontana announced today. A $929,771 grant from the Pennsylvania...
Department Of Aging Encourages Older Adults To Reach Out If COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Assistance Is Needed, Provides Resources Regarding Vaccines
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Aging today continued to encourage older adults seeking a COVID-19 vaccine appointment to contact their local Area Agency on Aging (AAA) for any assistance they may need in scheduling an appointment. The AAAs have...
Department Of Health: Over 6.7 Million Vaccinations To Date, First Doses Of Vaccine To 40.7% Of Population, PA Ranks 10th Among 50 States For First Dose Vaccinations
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., April 15, there were 5,060 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 1,092,852. Please note, the lab that began submitting data to the department...
Department Of Health Extends Pause On Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations Following FDA/CDC Recommendation
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today notified all COVID-19 vaccine providers that the pause in administering doses of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine will be extended until April 24 or until updated guidance is provided from...
Wolf Administration Encourages All College Students To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Before The Semester Ends
Harrisburg, PA - The Departments of Health (DOH) and Education (PDE) today encouraged all students at Pennsylvania colleges and universities to receive their COVID-19 vaccination before the semester ends. DOH and PDE officials are encouraging all institutions of...
Department Of Health Promoting COVID-19 Vaccine To Minority Communities
Harrisburg, PA - With the safety of all residents in mind, Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam today highlighted National Minority Health Month by focusing on the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on racial and ethnic minority groups and...
Governor Wolf Awards $2 Million in Funding to Community Organizations Impacted by COVID-19
Governor Tom Wolf announced that 43 projects totaling nearly $2 million have been approved for funding under the COVID-19 Relief – Supporting Elm and Main (SEAM) program. “Over the past year, communities across the commonwealth have faced devastating impacts...
What You Need to Know About COVID-19
The Coronavirus was first discovered during an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus that causes respiratory illness in people and can spread from person-to-person. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include: fever, cough, and shortness of breath. Symptoms often do not appear in a person until 2 to 14 days after exposure.
Prepare Yourself and Your Family
The best way to avoid contracting COVID-19 is by practicing vital social distancing procedures. It is recommended to work remotely and severely limit contact with others.
If you think you have come into contact with someone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms or are exhibiting them yourself, please follow the instructions on the graphic below:
PennDOT/Real ID Updates
Federal REAL ID Enforcement Deadline Postponed to October 2021
The Department of Homeland Security has postponed the enforcement date for REAL ID from October 1, 2020, to October 1, 2021, in response to COVID-19 and the national emergency declaration.
PennDOT closed all driver and photo license centers on March 16 and paused REAL ID issuance in the state out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of public health. Centers will reopen no sooner than April 3. PennDOT also sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, requesting that the agency consider extending the October 1, 2020 REAL ID enforcement deadline.
REAL ID is a federal law that affects how states issue driver’s licenses and ID cards if they are going to be acceptable for federal purposes. A federally-acceptable form of identification (whether it’s a Pennsylvania REAL ID driver’s license or ID card, a valid U.S. Passport/Passport Card, a military ID, etc.) must now be used on and after October 1, 2021, as identification to board a commercial flight or visit a secure federal building that requires a federally acceptable form of identification ID for access.
REAL ID is optional in Pennsylvania. There is no requirement that any resident obtain a REAL ID; PennDOT will continue to offer standard-issue driver’s licenses and photo IDs once issuance has resumed.
More information about document requirements, including a printable document checklist, can be found on the Document Check page of the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services website.
Protect Yourself
Medical Costs
As of March 9, the Governor announced that all major health insurers in Pennsylvania have agreed to cover “medically appropriate” COVID-19 testing and treatment.
The 10 major insurers are:
- Aetna
- Capital Blue Cross
- Cigna
- Geisinger
- Highmark
- Independence BlueCross
- Oscar
- Pennsylvania Health & Wellness
- UnitedHealthcare
- UPMC Health Plan
For anyone with questions about their insurance policy, please contact your insurer or the Pennsylvania State Insurance Department with questions. They can also be reached at (877) 881-6388.
Remote Medical Attention and Care
Health officials are urging people who have symptoms to stay home and contact their doctor remotely rather than opting for an in-person visit. Nearly all major health systems offer some form of virtual visits and assistance. Some insurers do, too. People interested in a specific virtual visit should check to see what illnesses it can be used for. Be sure to reach out to your insurance provider to verify this service is covered with your plan.
Here’s an brief overview of virtual visit services offered to local residents:
Capital BlueCross – is offering free medical Virtual Care visits for members who currently have the Virtual Care benefit. The waiving of fees will be effective March 13 through April 15, 2020.
Highmark – is providing many of their members with a virtual clinic visit service. Any fees related to COVID-19 will be waived.
UPMC Pinnacle – is welcoming Online Video Visits for those experience flu like symptoms or just in need of a follow-up appointment. Video visits are available through the MyPinnacleHealth portal for $49.
WellSpan Health – WellSpan Online Urgent Care offers a video visits with Teladoc physicians for patients 3 months and older for their standard fee of $49.
CALLING ALL PSYCHOLOGIST! Things may be picking up for you at this time, so we want to make sure you are covered too. Here are some COVID-19 resources on how to best protect yourself and serve your patients from the Pennsylvania Psychologist Association.
How to Stay Informed
Below is an extensive list of information, statistics, and resources to ensure you stay up-to-date with any changes happening due to COVID-19.
My Office
While our offices are closed, we are working remotely. Please call 412-344-2551 and leave a message or email [email protected] and someone will get back in touch with you as soon as possible.
ENewsletters
- Make sure you are signed up to receive my electronic newsletter (you can sign up HERE)
- To view all past issues of “News & Views” eNews, CLICK HERE
Pennsylvania Department of Health
- The PA DoH Daily COVID-19 report. Updated regularly throughout the day.
- Follow the PA Health Department on Twitter.
- Follow them on Facebook.
A complete list of information and resources available to you by county:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Track confirmed cases in the US. (This site is updated weekdays at noon and shows numbers that were current as of 4 p.m. the previous day.)
- CDC provided information regarding “What you should know about COVID-19”
- Follow the CDC on Twitter.
- Follow the CDC on Facebook.
- Learn how best to prevent “community transition” with specific details on what to do before, during, and after outbreaks.
World Health Organization
- Learn what’s happening Worldwide with the WHO’s Daily report. The most recent report is located at the top of the page. It includes confirmed case and death tallies.
- Additional COVID-19 information is provided on their website.
- Stay informed on Twitter.
- Follow their Facebook page.