The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 451 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the total to 68,637.
There are 5,152 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 13 new deaths.
Tuesday’s report is a second straight day of lower numbers. Monday’s announcement of 473 new cases was the smallest number of new cases in more than two months.
In the Lehigh Valley, there were 22 new cases in Lehigh and Northampton counties, with one additional death in Lehigh and none in Northampton, though state data lags county reports. Lehigh County reported 221 COVID-19 deaths while Northampton County reported 210, according to the latest figures available from both counties.
The data shows 61 percent of people who contracted COVID-19 have recovered.
In long-term care centers, including nursing homes, there are 14,857 resident cases of COVID-19, and 2,505 cases among employees, for a total of 17,362 at 594 distinct facilities in 44 counties. Out of the state’s total deaths, 3,395 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.
At her daily briefing, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Pennsylvania has had 17 reports of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C, a complication related to COVID-19. Out of the 17, nine have been confirmed, six are under investigation and two have been ruled out.
MIS-C is very similar to Kawasaki disease, which causes inflammation (swelling and redness) in blood vessels throughout the body. Symptoms of MIS-C include: Persistent high ever, abdominal pain, rash, red eyes and fatigue.
Health experts aren’t sure what causes MIS-C but they know that in many cases there’s a connection to COVID-19 — either the children had it or they were exposed to someone with it.
“There is rather limited information about this condition,” said Levine, whose background is as a pediatrician. “We don’t know if it’s specific to children and we don’t know the specific risk factors or how it’s transmitted.”
Levine said parents who see symptoms matching MIS-C should call their pediatrician.
CDC has more information on its website about MIS-C: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/mis-c.html
Levine and Gov. Tom Wolf, who was also at the briefing, were asked a lot of questions about counties moving to new, less-restrictive phases. Levine said more guidance would be released this week about “life in the green zone,” specifically about guidelines for larger group gatherings.
Eight more counties will move from red to yellow phase on Friday: Dauphin, Franklin, Huntingdon, Lebanon, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, and Schuylkill. All remaining red phase counties ? including Northampton and Lehigh counties ? will move to the yellow phase on June 5.
A key metric the state has been using to determine when counties can reopen is for an area to have a coronavirus positive-test case rate of 50 per 100,000 residents or fewer over a stretch of 14 days. The 14-day rate for Lehigh and Northampton counties is 97 and 136, respectively.
The following 17 counties will be moving from the yellow to the green phase on Friday: Bradford, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Montour, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Venango, and Warren.
This article will be updated.
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