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
COVID-19 Testing Available at Community Health Clinics in Allegheny County
PITTSBURGH – Testing for COVID-19 is now available at federally qualified health centers in Allegheny County and through Pittsburgh Mercy, a certified community behavioral health clinic. The tests will be offered at no charge, and patients do not need a doctor’s...
Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 473 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 68,186
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 25, that there are 473 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 68,186. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. There are...
L&I’s Anti-Fraud Division Uncovers Attempted COVID-19 Unemployment Scams, None of L&I’s Systems or Data Were Breached
Harrisburg, PA – Secretary Jerry Oleksiak today announced the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry's (L&I) anti-fraud division has discovered attempts by scammers to try and bilk COVID-19 unemployment benefits using personal information obtained...
Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 730 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 67,713
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 24, that there are 730 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 67,713. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. There are...
L&I Monitoring COVID-19 Unemployment Scams Across U.S., Pennsylvanians Should Stay Vigilant and Report Suspected Fraud
Harrisburg, PA – Secretary Jerry Oleksiak announced today the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) is working closely with state and federal partners to monitor COVID-19 scams across the U.S. that are targeting unemployment benefits...
$280,000 Available to Animal Ag Producers for Reimbursement of PPE through PA Farm Bill Center for Poultry & Livestock Excellence
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and PennAg Industries today announced that $280,000 is available to Pennsylvania's poultry, swine, lamb, goat, and sheep processors to reimburse costs associated with the purchase of personal protective...
Department of Health Highlights Ongoing Nursing Home Inspection, Sanction Information Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
Harrisburg, PA - Since the beginning of February, the Pennsylvania Department of Health nursing home surveyors conducted 1,473 inspections of nursing homes, including 907 complaint investigations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition,...
Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 725 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 66,983
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 23, that there are 725 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 66,983. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. There are...
Department of Health Distributes Third Shipment of Drug to Help Treat COVID-19 Patients in Hospitals
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Health distributed the third shipment of the investigational antiviral medication, remdesivir, to treat patients in the hospital with COVID-19. Yesterday, 8,928 doses of medication were sent to 81 hospitals. The medication...
Gov. Wolf Adds Eight Counties to Yellow and 17 to Green on May 29, Remainder to Yellow on June 5
Furthering his plan for reopening Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf today announced eight additional counties will move to yellow and 17 to green, effective at 12:01 a.m., May 29. All remaining counties in red are expected to move to yellow by June 5 at 12:01 a.m. The...
Wolf Administration Releases Summer Camp and Recreation Guidance
With an understanding of the need for Pennsylvania families to secure child care options this summer, the Wolf Administration today issued frequently asked questions to provide guidance to parents, summer camp operators, public bathing places, part-day school-age...
Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19, 866 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 66,258
Harrisburg, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., May 22, that there are 866 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 66,258. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19. There are...
Department of Corrections Announces Demobilization Plans
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Corrections Sec. John Wetzel today announced that, beginning May 26, the DOC will begin the demobilization (or reopening) process for state prisons and will use a system of five levels that is guided by the governor’s statewide...
Northeast Pennsylvania COVID-19 Testing Site Completes More than 2,000 Tests, State Directs Resources to Higher Need Areas
Harrisburg, PA - The Wolf Administration today announced it will close the COVID-19 public testing site at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, on Friday, May 29. Since the site opened on April 20, 2020, 2,048 residents have been...
Gov. Wolf Modifies Executive Order on Foreclosure and Eviction Suspensions
Gov. Tom Wolf amended his executive order protecting Pennsylvanians from foreclosure and eviction to specify that the order only applies to evictions and foreclosures enacted due to lack of payment or because a tenant has overstayed a lease. “I am protecting...
Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Rate At 15.1 Percent in April
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) released its employment situation report for April 2020.The April unemployment and jobs surveys reflect the effects of business and school closures to mitigate the spread of...
Yellow Phase Orders Updated to Include 12 Additional Counties Moving on May 22
The yellow phase orders were amended to include 12 counties moving to the yellow phase at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow, May 22. Those counties include Adams, Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Wayne, and York. The 12 counties...
COVID-19 Upgrades to Open More Shooting Ranges
HARRISBURG, PA - The Pennsylvania Game Commission today announced that, on Friday, May 22, it will reopen shooting ranges on additional state game lands in counties to be upgraded to the yellow phase in the state’s three-phase matrix to ease COVID-19 restrictions....
Wolf Administration Awards $9.6 million in Grants to Help the Charitable Food System
The Wolf Administration will be awarding more than $9 million to non-profit entities for projects to fight hunger and prevent food waste. The awards come from the expanded Food Recovery Infrastructure grant program announced in April. Grants will allow food...
Human Services: Learning and Support Network is Helping Long-Term Care Facilities During COVID-19
Harrisburg, PA - Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation today provided an update on the Educational Support and Clinical Coaching Program (ESCCP), a learning network established by DHS and the...
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Issues Guidance to Licensees Regarding New Drinks-to-Go Law
Harrisburg – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board today issued guidance to licensees regarding Act 21 of 2020, signed into law today by Governor Tom Wolf, which allows certain hotel and restaurant licensees to temporarily sell prepared beverages and mixed drinks...
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 fontana@pasenate.com 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.