After Pennsylvania reported 860 more cases of the coronavirus Thursday, pushing the total to 111,078, Gov. Tom Wolf attributed at least some of the recent virus upsurge to other states’ failure to contain it.
“We are paying the price for things that didn’t happen in other states,” Wolf told reporters at a Lancaster County press conference. “So we are seeing this virus come east from the West and Southwest. We are seeing this virus come north.”
Four times in the past 10 days, the daily new-case figure put out by the state has surpassed 1,000. In the first half of July, the state surpassed that figure only once.
But the Wednesday and Thursday increases were both less than 900. Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, speaking at the same press conference, called the numbers promising.
“We will see if that trend continues,” she said.
Among the newly reported cases Thursday are 30 in the Lehigh Valley, including 20 in Lehigh County and 10 in Northampton County.
The counties with the biggest coronavirus case count increases on Thursday, according to the state data, are Allegheny with 132; Philadelphia, 127; Lancaster, 74; Delaware, 59; Bucks, 51; Montgomery, 50; Chester, 41; and Westmoreland, 31.
Hospitalizations down
State data showed there are 42 people hospitalized for the coronavirus in Lehigh County around midday on Tuesday ? a number that has been steadily declining for the last six weeks.
In mid-June, a running two-week average kept by the state showed more than 83 people were hospitalized for the virus. That two-week average now is about 39.
For Northampton County, state data shows five people hospitalized for the virus about midday on Thursday, close to the running two-week average. In mid-June, that average stood near eight.
Statewide, 14 more deaths from the virus have been reported, bringing the total to 7,176. There have been no newly reported deaths in Lehigh or Northampton counties in the past four days.
The Lehigh County case total now stands at 4,795 and the Northampton total at 3,816.
The two counties are part of the Health Department’s 10-county northeast region, which overall added 57 more cases on Thursday. The previous day, it added 126 cases.
The state data includes both confirmed and probable cases. Confirmed cases are those testing positive for the virus.
Scenarios that would lead to a probable case include one where an individual has not been tested but shows symptoms and has had close contact with a confirmed case.
Emergency services grants
Wolf and Levine appeared at the Millersville branch of Lancaster EMS to thank first responders and publicize a $50 million grant program for fire and ambulance companies.
The program draws on federal emergency funds and already has drawn 1,100 applications, Wolf said. It was approved by the Legislature and Wolf in May.
Wolf called firefighters and EMS personnel “heroes” for their work during the pandemic, but noted that several factors have crimped their revenue.
With some bars closed and carnivals canceled, fundraising possibilities have been reduced, he said. Beyond that, some people are reluctant to go to the hospital during the crisis, which also affects EMS business.
The grants, Wolf said, are “the kind of thing that I think we need to do to protect and help the folks who are helping and protecting us.”
First responder suicides
Speaking at the same press conference, state Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego said that in Pennsylvania in 2019, 119 firefighters and 20 EMTs died by suicide.
The state, he said, ranks fourth in the nation in suicides by first responders.
“That is certainly not a distinction we want to continue. We want to lower that at any cost,” Trego said.
He encouraged first responders to make daily self-assessments of their feelings about their work. Dealing with bothersome thoughts about their work through a mindset of “suck it up kid, that’s part of the job” should no longer happen, he said.
In addition, Trego said, the state has made available ? free, through its “TRAIN PA” website ? four short videos to bolster mental wellness among first responders.
The videos are titled, “Being a First Responder During a Global Pandemic,” “Had a Bad Call,” “How to Better Support Your Fellow First Responders,” and “Capturing the Load.”
Morning Call Capitol correspondent Ford Turner can be reached at fturner@mcall.com.
