Harrisburg, PA – Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam today amended the existing Universal Face Coverings order, issued on November 17, 2020, to align with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People. The amended order went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on March 17, 2021 and will remain in effect until further notice.
“The vaccines that are currently available across the state and country are highly effective at protecting vaccinated people against severe and symptomatic COVID-19,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “Research has shown that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection and potentially less likely to spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others. However, there is still more to learn about how long protection lasts and how much vaccines protect against new variants of the virus, so some prevention measures will continue to be in place for all people, regardless of their vaccination status.”
Doylestown, PA – Approximately two weeks after Governor Tom Wolf and the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced the voluntary single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be administered to Pre-K to 12 educators and school staff, the special initiative is ahead of schedule and proven to be a great success. As of this morning, 83,859 people have received the J&J vaccine through this initiative.
“Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our efforts to get school staff vaccinated – and for making it happen so quickly,” said Gov. Wolf. “Most importantly, vaccinating teachers will help students to get back in the classroom faster, ease the burden on parents and benefit entire communities.”
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., March 20, that there were 4,213 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 984,515.
There are 1,548 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 317 patients are in the intensive care unit with COVID-19. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) will use a nearly $1 million federal grant to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on K-12 students across Pennsylvania and recommend educational strategies to help students and schools move forward.
“Our school communities and families have remained resilient during the pandemic, and we are thankful for their ability to pivot throughout the challenges we have faced,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. “The ability for us to examine inequities in education will help us create responsive teaching and learning opportunities in future years.”
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., March 19, that there were 3,455 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 980,302.
There are 1,486 individuals hospitalized with COVID-19. Of that number, 287 patients are in the intensive care unit with COVID-19. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Health (DOH) Acting Secretary Alison Beam and Executive Deputy Secretary Keara Klinepeter yesterday outlined details on temporary plans that will get more COVID-19 vaccine to Pennsylvanians and unprecedented efforts to provide transparency and improve technical resources online.
“Right now, Pennsylvania’s dedicated vaccine providers are making significant progress getting vaccine into the arms of residents in every corner of the state,” Acting Secretary Beam said. “We want to thank all of our providers who have offered tremendous support in getting vaccine into arms across the state thus far. As Pennsylvania’s vaccination rates continue to accelerate, we will continue to adapt our strategy to ensure every Pennsylvanian who wants the vaccine, can access the vaccine.
