On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 888 new positive cases of COVID-19, which brings the statewide total to 51,845.
The number of cases reported in local counties holds steady at six in McKean, four each in Elk and Potter and two in Cameron, according to the department.
The Kane Republican reported that McKean County had its first COVID-19 death this week.
While the Department of Health did not have a record of a McKean County death on Wednesday, DOH press secretary Nate Wardle indicated that it can take a few days for a death to become part of the data.
“Typically, once a death occurs, if in a confirmed case, it is reported to the department within a few days and then reflected in our data,” he said.
The person in charge of reporting the death depends on the circumstances, according to Wardle.
“The death information is typically reported to the department by the medical professional who witnessed the death, yes,” he said. “If the death was not witnessed, then the county coroner would likely report the information to the state.”
Wardle talked about the criteria for a death to be included in Department of Health statistics for COVID-19 deaths.
“At this time, we are including deaths from people who tested positive, and people who were probable positive cases, which means they had symptoms and a high-risk exposure, such as being in a congregate care facility or living with someone who tested positive, or a positive antibody test and a high-risk exposure,” he explained.
The Department of Health reported 94 new deaths across the state, bringing the total to 3,106.
Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine urged Pennsylvanians to continue following social distancing efforts, even as some counties are set to see some guidelines relax.
“We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders,” she stated in a press release. “I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19.”
According to the Department of Health, in nursing and personal care homes, 10,010 residents have been reported to have COVID-19, while 1,372 employees have been reported to have the illness. The cases are spread over 502 facilities in 44 counties. A total of 2,108 deaths were residents of nursing and personal care homes.
About 3,316 of the cases are in health care workers, the Department of Health reported.
