Governor Tom Wolf confirmed two cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania Friday.
Wolf, referring to the two as the first presumptive positive cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state, followed the announcement with a reminder to residents that the commonwealth is prepared to respond to community spread of the virus.
“We anticipated this very scenario and have been preparing for Pennsylvanians to become impacted by this virus,” Governor Wolf said. “This is not the first rapidly-spreading virus we have faced in our commonwealth and it will not be the last. We are prepared to mitigate the spread of this virus.”
One case is reportedly an adult from Wayne County who traveled to a country where COVID-19 is present. That patient is in isolation in their own home. There were no details provided on the second case.
Following Gov. Wolf’s announcement, Senator Casey shared wishes of health for those impacted.
“The people of Pennsylvania wish a speedy recovery to those who have been impacted by Coronavirus and we stand ready to help those families. Yesterday, Congress passed $8 billion in funding to combat the Coronavirus and I will push to make sure appropriate resources are sent to Pennsylvania quickly,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) via email. “I urge all Pennsylvanians to follow the instructions of their medical provider, public health professionals as well as federal agencies like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
House Leadership from the Republican and Democratic caucuses issued the following statement Friday regarding the COVID-19 virus:
“The House of Representatives continues to work with the legislature, the governor’s administration, multiple state agencies and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on state-wide preparedness plans along with addressing potential impacts on our employees and their families. Meetings have occurred over the last few weeks to be as prepared as possible. We are ready to work to adjust state resources as necessary to address any COVID-19 related effects.
“Our efforts to protect Pennsylvanians as much as possible will continue and we will provide legislative updates through our caucus websites and our members’ social media accounts.”
