Approximately 345 health care workers in Pennsylvania have tested positive for coronavirus.

But state health officials said the hospitals and health systems statewide are “coping very well” with the growing number of patients sick with COVID-19.

“We are working with them every day to make sure that they have the supplies that they need to take care of patients that are infected with COVID-19,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.

The Department of Health reported 1,211 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number to 7,016.

It also reported 14 new deaths for a total of 90.

Levine said the state continues to prepare for a surge of patients, including in the northeast region of the state. While the Philadelphia area is considered the “epicenter” of the outbreak in Pennsylvania, counties like Monroe and Luzerne have seen a larger number of cases per capita.

Levine said the Department of Health will be working with hospitals in Northeast Pennsylvania to make sure they can handle the capacity of patients.

She said the department is considering using hospitals which recently closed, without mentioning specifics. Levine said those facilities would likely be used to take patients who don’t have COVID-19 to create more capacity at other hospitals.

The federal government is also setting up two field hospitals in Philadelphia.

Statewide the rate of patients who need hospitalization is still about 10 percent. 216 patients have required intensive care and 160 have required ventilators.

The state has prioritized testing health care workers for the virus.

Locally, Lehigh Valley Health Network says that several health care workers have tested positive for the virus.

“When that happens they must self-quarantine at home for 14 days. This can prompt schedule changes for staff but care is not impacted,” said spokesman Brian Downs.

Levine said the department has noticed the rapid increase of cases in Northeast Pennsylvania. However she does not yet know why there are more cases per capita in the Northeast part of the state.

“We can’t tell exactly what the travel patterns are or why we are seeing more in that area,” she said.

Local officials have expressed concern about the number of people who have homes in Northeast Pennsylvania and family or work in New York. State Rep. Doyle Heffley wrote a letter to the governors of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania urging them to take action and discourage people from coming to the area to “weather the storm.”

“We must take action to protect them, just as New Jersey’s governor did to protect shore communities where some Pennsylvania and New York residents chose to flee,” Heffley said in his letter.

Gov. Tom Wolf cut off Airbnb rentals in the area after a group of representatives shared listings which marketed Pocono vacation rentals to New York and New Jersey residents as an escape from COVID-19.

Levine encouraged people traveling from New York to observe the federal travel advisory which requires them to quarantine for 14 days if they leave the New York area.

“We are asking anyone according to President Trump’s messages as well as the governor’s messages that if you’re coming back from New York City to please quarantine for 14 days,” she said.