Centre County has more COVID-19 cases than nearby ‘red’ phase counties. Why will it reopen sooner?
As 24 Pennsylvania counties prepare for a partial reopening, some are questioning the state’s plan, but Gov. Tom Wolf’s office says the deciding factor includes more than just COVID-19 case numbers.
After meeting key metrics for coronavirus mitigation, including averaging fewer than 50 new positive cases of the virus per 100,000 residents for 14 days, Centre County will move into the “yellow” phase of reopening on Friday. Grouped with rural, northern counties, Centre County has more total cases than neighboring counties including Blair and Mifflin — areas that will still be in the red phase of reopening.
Additional reopening criteria includes having enough testing for individuals with symptoms and target populations, robust case investigation, contact tracing and safeguards for high-risk facilities.
On Monday, state representatives Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, Rich Irvin, R-Spruce Creek, and Jonathan Hershey, R-Juniata, sent a letter to Wolf, urging him to reconsider his decision to keep Mifflin County in the red phase.
“From day one of this pandemic, you have pointed to ‘data’ and ‘science’ as the most important factors when making decisions related to COVID-19. In your recent announcement, you again pointed to data and science to justify which 24 counties would be deemed ready to reopen,” the representatives wrote. “We, too, have looked at the data and see no reason why Mifflin County should not be permitted to move to the yellow phase.”
There are 50,092 reported cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania as of noon Monday, the smallest single-day increase in new cases since March 31, according to the DOH.
Centre County, with a population of 162,385, reported 105 total cases on Monday.
With a population of 46,222, Mifflin County has 39 total reported cases.
“Of those cases, zero have resulted in death,” the letter said. “The residents of Mifflin County are responsible, hardworking people who want to do the right thing, but who also want to put food on the table for their families.”
The governor’s office is taking a “careful, measured approach” to ensure that the state can resume work and daily routines safely, Deputy DOH Press Secretary Maggi Mumma wrote Monday in an email.
“This means that not all counties in Pennsylvania are able to move from red to yellow now because we cannot ensure the safety of residents if an outbreak were to occur based on its size, population density and access to medical care,” Mumma said.
Declining to specify why a county was or was not granted approval to reopen, Mumma said there are ongoing outbreaks in counties throughout Pennsylvania — primarily in food packing and long-term care facilities — that are not under control.
Mifflin County has two nursing or personal care facilities with reported cases, involving one resident and one employee. In Centre County, there are four cases among residents and three among staff at three long-term care facilities, according to the DOH’s Monday update.
According to the state’s hospital preparedness dashboard, which was last updated noon Monday, 2,709 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized and receiving treatment for the coronavirus.
With a total of eight ventilators in Mifflin County, one is in use for a COVID-19 patient. According to the state’s dashboard, Centre County has 26 ventilators available, with none in use.
Wolf has not announced when counties will be permitted to move into the yellow or green phases, but he said if a county sees a surge in case numbers, it will be sent back to the red phase of reopening.
“From the time this pandemic reached Pennsylvania, our priority has been to save lives and ensure that our health care system could treat people who become sick, without overwhelming the entire system,” Mumma said. “Our social distancing efforts have paid off and we have been able to prevent a surge of patients needing urgent care. We need to continue this effort to ensure that Pennsylvanians remain safe.”
