Pa. Department Of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine Says State Has Power To Stop Spread Of Coronavirus
HARRISBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the state has the power to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
She said that power is as simple as wearing a mask, avoiding situations where you can expose yourself to the virus, social distancing and washing your hands.
"If we make the right choices, we won't have to worry about hospital capacity," said Dr. Levine during a press briefing on Monday.
Levine said southwestern Pennsylvania has seen a significant increase in cases, which is a concern that must be watched closely.
"Local officials, like those in Allegheny County, have taken mitigation efforts, monitoring data," Levine said.
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Mitigation efforts like banning indoor drinking and dining at bars and restaurants throughout the county. But what if the case count continues to rise?
"We do not plan, at this time, to those dramatic statewide measures, the colors, the red, yellow and green schemes. We are going to watch them very carefully, and we strongly support measures by (Allegheny County Health Department Director) Dr. Bogen in Allegheny County," said Dr. Levine.
As far as mitigation in surrounding counties, like Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland, Dr. Levine said that isn't necessary right now.
"We did have a phone call with the county commissioners to update them on their case counts to discuss targeted mitigation measures that we were considering. But in the end, looking at data and discussing things with the governor's office and putting it all together, we decided to hold off," said Dr. Levine.
If you plan to travel to a hotspot, Levine recommends quarantining for 14 days.
Dr. Levine said the state currently has over 600 contact tracers and dozens are in training right now.
Levine said the state Department of Health is offering support to Allegheny County and several contact tracers are working with the Allegheny County Health Department in order to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.