Pennsylvania

• 4,087 confirmed cases, 33,777 tested negative, Deaths 49

Cases by county in the 10-county region per Pennsylvania Department of Health
* case count last updated at 12:00 p.m. on 3/30/2020

State Updates

• Governor Wolf and Dr. Watkins from the PA Department of Health participated in today’s press conference. Notes from their conference are below.

Governor Wolf:

• We are doing a phenomenal job. Thank you for staying in and doing what it takes to stop this virus.
• 700 new cases reported, now in 59 counties.
• Adding Carbon, Cumberland and Dauphin Counties to stay at home order
• Expanding orders: businesses and schools are now closed indefinitely – without a date. It is still not safe.
• We must continue to distance ourselves. Even as it gets warmer, be sure to maintain distance when outdoors to further eliminate.
• Keep at it, thank you PA

Dr. Watkins: PA Department of Health

• 693 new cases – PA now has 4,087 positive cases
• 4% are with health care workers, 1% in nursing home population
• 1 in correctional facility
• 10% of those testing positive are in a hospital, 110 need ICU, 67 need ventilators
• 48 deaths have been reported in PA

Regional Coronavirus Update:

• Allegheny County:

• 25 new cases of COVID-19 reported totaling 290 (44% are 25 to 49 years old) in Allegheny County.
• Health Department officials are developing an online tool to provide more information on COVID-19 cases within the county.

• City of Pittsburgh:

• Pittsburgh Financial Empowerment Center – a joint effort by the City of Pittsburgh and Neighborhood Allies – will offer free one-on-one video/phone financial counseling to resident 18 and over.

• Westmoreland County:

• Eight new cases of COVID-19 reported totaling 55 confirmed cases within the county.

Federal Coronavirus Update:

House of Representatives:

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi reinforced the need for the next phase of addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)

• Pentagon watchdog Marty Fine has been selected to lead the newly created Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. The committee will oversee the implementation the $2 trillion to be distributed from the CARES Act. The CARES Act requires a special inspector general to oversee the $500 billion in industry relief and a Congressional Oversight Commission both oversight mechanisms have yet to be appointed.

United States Navy:

• USNS Comfort – a 1,000 bed hospital ship – has arrived in Manhattan to lessen the strain on existing hospital infrastructure. This is part of the attempt to alleviate strain and allow hospitals to treat more coronavirus patients.

National Coronavirus Update:

• 125,000 employees are to be furloughed by Macy’s due to COVID-19. The national retail cites diminishing sales which have forced it to close stores.
• Nearly 200,000 Instacart workers plan to strike on Monday citing lack of COVID-19 protections as the reason.
• Johnson & Johnson stated that human testing of its experimental vaccine for COVID-19 will begin by September and it could be available for emergency use authorization in early 2021.
• Amazon workers are staging a walkout at the Staten Island, New York, facility on Monday for allegations that the online corporation has mishandled its response to the coronavirus pandemic. Many more employees have tested positive for the virus at the facility than the company has publicly acknowledged.