Coronavirus Pennsylvania: COVID-19 Cases Nearing 51,000 As Death Toll Tops 3,000
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania is nearing 51,000 as the death toll has now topped 3,000. On Tuesday, health officials reported 865 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 50,957.
The health department also announced 554 new deaths, raising the death toll to 3,012. These deaths occurred over the last two weeks.
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"As we prepare to move a number of counties from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place," Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said. "We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders. I am proud of the work that Pennsylvanians have done so far, but we cannot stop now, we must continue to take the necessary steps to protect ourselves from COVID-19."
Nearly 200,000 patients have tested negative so far.
Meanwhile, people who applied to a new federal benefits program for self-employed and gig-economy workers and others barred from receiving traditional unemployment should begin to see the money next week, state officials said.
About 150,000 workers have applied to the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which is being administered by the state's unemployment compensation office. The state began accepting applications April 18, but hasn't been able to pay benefits while it built out the system.
Applicants should be able to start filing weekly claims by the end of this week, and payments should begin a few days later, Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak said.
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