¹ Total case counts include confirmed and probable cases.
² Negative case data only includes negative PCR tests. Negative case data does not include negative antibody tests.
Case data from PA-NEDSS.  Death data is a combination of PA-NEDSS and EDRS

¹ Tested per 100,000 residents represents the cumulative sum of tests within the specified geography

² Cases per 100K represents the 14 day sum of new cases per 100,000 residents

State Coronavirus Updates

• 8.3.2020 Governor Wolf
  • Press Conference on Local Law Enforcement in Important Roles Education and Understanding Play in Enforcement of COVID-19 Orders at Susquehanna County Police Department
• Gov. Wolf: $28 Million to Help Higher Education Resume Operations: Governor Tom Wolf is dedicating approximately $28 million to postsecondary institutions and adult basic education providers to assist them in implementing public health and safety plans and help them to resume operations in the fall. The funding will be used to help keep students, faculty, and staff safe and assist institutions in meeting the unique challenges of providing instruction during COVID-19. Read more: https://dingo.telicon.com/PA/library/2020/2020080384.HTM
• Wolf Administration, Local Law Enforcement Stress Important Roles Education and Understanding Play in Enforcement of COVID-19 Orders: Governor Tom Wolf visited the Susquehanna Township Police headquarters to discuss the important roles education and understanding play in the enforcement of the various COVID-19 mitigation orders in place across the state. Read more: https://dingo.telicon.com/PA/library/2020/2020080385.HTM
• Department of Health Continues to Increase Testing in Several Regions: The Department of Health announced that beginning Wednesday, August 5, various Walmart locations across the state will begin providing drive-thru testing for residents living in areas where there is a need for testing sites. Read more: https://dingo.telicon.com/PA/library/2020/2020080387.HTM
• Future students could pay more after pandemic costs universities millions in refunds and safety measures: The full cost of the COVID-19 pandemic on Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities won’t be known for a while, but rough estimates of the losses and unexpected expenses already adds up to the hundreds of millions of dollars. Read more: https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/08/how-is-the-pandemic-affecting-your-college-or-university-here-are-some-examples.html

Regional Coronavirus Updates

• Allegheny County Department of Health
  • There are 686 past or present hospitalizations (+1). In the newest cases (tested July 9 through August 2), ages range from 8 to 96 years with the median age being 37.
• Pittsburgh Public Schools
  • Pittsburgh Public Schools board members Friday voted unanimously to hold the first nine weeks of classes virtually. Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/07/31/Pittsburgh-Public-Schools-board-vote-start-school-year-online/stories/202007310129
• Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • IUP, Western Pennsylvania’s largest state-owned university, becomes the ninth of 14 members of the State System of Higher Education to shift away from most face-to-face classes given a summer surge in Pennsylvania. Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/08/03/Indiana-University-of-Pennsylvania-State-System-COVID-19-Michael-Driscoll-fall-IUP/stories/202008030064
• COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns have burdened caregivers, Pitt research finds: The survey of more than 3,500 family caregivers and non-caregivers was released late last week from Pitt’s National Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Family Support and the University Center for Social and Urban Research. Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/covid-19/2020/08/03/COVID-19-pandemic-and-shutdowns-have-burdened-caregivers-Pitt-research-finds/stories/202007300178
• Should you be tested for COVID-19? Only if you are in a priority group: Doctors at UPMC and Allegheny Health Network — along with Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department — have all returned to the recommendation that testing be prioritized for those who are experiencing symptoms. Symptoms consistent with the virus include fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle aches and gastrointestinal upset. Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2020/08/03/covid-19-coronavirus-testing-tests-pennsylvania-symptoms-asymptomatic/stories/202007290112

Federal Coronavirus Updates

• National Institutes of Health
  • NIH delivering new COVID-19 testing technologies to meet U.S. demand: The National Institutes of Health is investing $248.7 million in new technologies to address challenges associated with COVID-19 testing (which detects SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus). NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) initiative has awarded contracts to seven biomedical diagnostic companies to support a range of new lab-based and point-of-care tests that could significantly increase the number, type and availability of tests by millions per week as early as September 2020. With national demand estimated to be millions more tests per day above current levels, these technologies are expected to make a significant contribution to expanding the nation’s testing capacity. Read more: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-delivering-new-covid-19-testing-technologies-meet-us-demand
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Preparing K-12 School Administrators for a Safe Return to School in Fall 2020: This guidance is intended to aid school administrators as they consider how to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of students, teachers, other school staff, their families, and communities and prepare for educating students this fall. Read more: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/prepare-safe-return.html

National Coronavirus Updates

• According to CNN, as of 2:00pm on Monday, August 3, 2020, there are 155,062 coronavirus-related deaths and 4,687,828 total positive cases in the United States.
• Birx Warns U.S. Coronavirus Epidemic Is In ‘New Phase’ As Cases And Deaths Climb: White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on Sunday that the U.S. is in a “new phase” of the pandemic, urging people to follow public health guidance as cases continue to climb in many parts of the United States. Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/08/02/898330198/birx-warns-u-s-coronavirus-epidemic-is-in-new-phase-as-cases-and-deaths-climb
• U.S. lacks plan for getting vaccine to communities of color devastated by virus:  The United States is mounting the largest vaccination effort in its history — without a plan on how to reach racial and ethnic groups that have not only been devastated by the virus but are often skeptical about government outreach in their communities. Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/03/vaccine-minority-communities-389878
• Coronavirus creates election worker shortage ahead of November:  First it was toilet paper. Then it was cleaning supplies. Now, a new coronavirus-era shortage is threatening the November election: Poll workers. Recruiting volunteers to check in voters, supply ballots and deal with issues has never been easy for election administrators. But in interviews and public statements, more than a dozen election administrators and voting advocates warned that slow poll worker recruitment could be a major vulnerability for the 2020 election. Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/03/vaccine-minority-communities-389878