PA Coronavirus Cases Rise To 6

HARRISBURG, PA — Two additional Pennsylvania residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the state's presumptive positive cases up to six as of Sunday evening, health officials said.

The two people are both Montgomery County residents. They are both adults, have mild symptoms and are isolated at home, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

They tested presumptive positive after known international exposure. A presumptive case means the state has identified COVID-19 but is waiting on confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Four Montgomery County residents have now tested positive for the illness. All the cases are from travel, authorities said. The state's first cases were announced Friday and included a Delaware County resident and a Wayne County resident. On Saturday, the first two Montgomery County cases were announced, followed by two more from that county on Sunday.

Montgomery County officials have identified the location of the previous positives. One is an adult man from Worcester. The other is an adult female who lives in Lower Gwynedd. The location of the positives announced Sunday has not yet been disclosed.

"Both individuals have mild symptoms that do not require hospitalization and are currently in isolation at home. Each was exposed to the virus while traveling in an area of the United States where COVID-19 is present," information from Montgomery County said.

Meanwhile local officials urged the public to remain calm.

“Spread is expected, but please don’t panic. There has been no evidence of community transmission in Montgomery County,” said Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Chair Valerie A. Arkoosh. “If you have coronavirus symptoms, please stay home and call your healthcare provider for further instructions."

Also Sunday, the Central Bucks School District announced all schools will be open as usual Monday following an exposure scare that closed five schools Friday. All people exposed have since tested negative and the schools have been thoroughly cleaned, officials said.

"We will continue to employ an elevated cleaning protocol in our buildings and buses, while paying extra attention to bathrooms, desktops, door knobs any other high touch/high traffic areas. As we explained, all buildings and buses are cleaned using products on the Environmental Protection Agency’s registered antimicrobial products list for use against COVID-19," a letter from the superintendent to the school community said.

The new coronavirus was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

Symptoms are fever, cough, difficulty breathing and pneumonia, resulting in anything from mild respiratory issues to death.

It spreads between those closer than 6 feet apart through respiratory droplets when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes and the droplets get into the mouths or noses of others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As of Sunday night, more than 530 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the United States. Twenty-one people in the United States have died as of Sunday evening.