The Pennsylvania Department of Public Health reported a significant number of deaths in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic on Sunday.

There were 276 deaths among those who have tested positive and are probable positive cases. The department reported 80 new deaths among positive cases on Saturday.

But Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine stressed that the increase did not happen overnight.

“We are working to reconcile our data with information from several different sources,” Levine said. “This includes our (National Electronic Disease Surveillance System) data reporting system, but also our electronic data reporting system, and our county and municipal health departments. We understand how important accurate data is to make informed decisions about our path forward for this global pandemic.

“As we collect data, we are also are verifying its accuracy. Some deaths are reported to us with several causes of death with COVID-19 listed as maybe the fourth or fifth cause of death. Our epidemiologists then investigate whether or not that person has previously tested positive for COVID-19. This work takes time. And so today, the increase in deaths is a culmination of that data validating effort.”

Since the first case in Pennsylvania was confirmed on March 6, there have been 1,112 deaths in adult patients.

“We want to provide you with the most accurate information possible, and that will mean that at times there will a single day’s report that will show big increases, like today,” Levine said. “It’s important to remember that we are looking at trends in the data to base our decisions, and to confirm that social distancing, and the mitigation efforts ordered by the governor are working.

“Our trends are showing that Pennsylvanians sacrifice to stay at home is working.”

The number of positive cases in Carbon County increased slightly from 136 to 140, with still eight deaths. Lehigh County’s total rose from 2,141 to 2,203. The number of deaths increased from 29 to 32.

In Monroe County, there are now 963 positive cases, up from 943. The number of deaths increased by four, bringing the total to 38.

Northampton County now has 1,441 positive cases, up from the 1,396 reported Saturday and seven additional deaths, bringing the total to 36.

The number of positive cases in Schuylkill County rose from 254 to 261. There are still five confirmed deaths.

“We don’t expect this type of reconciliation data every day,” said Levine. “We expect the number of deaths to increase, but certainly at a lower rate than we reported today, because of the reconciliation of data.”

The data collection came from hospitals, health care systems, county and municipal health departments and from long-term care living facilities.

It also includes information from the Pennsylvania Vital Records Department, which tracks births and deaths, and cases diagnosed by a coroner, or other ways where the data is collected into that system.

“Today, we reconciled those systems, which showed in the increase we’re reporting,” said Levine. “But it’s really important to remember that not all of those deaths occurred today. In fact, I have some granularity of that: eight occurred more than two weeks ago; 138 occurred from April 5-11; and 148 occurred in the last week.

“That’s information that we’ve gotten from our death reporting system, our electronic death reporting system through our Office of Vital Records.”

More testing

The southeast (19,838) and northeast (7,561) have accounted for 27,399 of the 32,284 positive cases statewide.

The disparity of cases in those regions compared to the north-central (517), northwest (226), south central (1,829) and southwest (2,027) portions of the state could lead to certain areas seeing a potential reduction in business closures.

“It is challenging to get testing done in more remote places in Pennsylvania that have less health care facilities,” she said. “As we discussed, the path forward and the possible lifting of business closures in certain counties or regions of Pennsylvania, then we’ll need to take that into consideration, and make sure that testing is available. And perhaps, we’ll need more mass testing sites.

“We’re having those discussions as we speak.”

With a mass-testing site at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre slated to open with a “soft start” on Monday, Levine noted that the department is also looking at similar contact tracing testing sites in other portions of the state.

“We definitely are making plans right now to be able to do testing in regions that we’re considering having a lessening of social distancing,” said Levine. “And then to diagnose patients with COVID-19, have isolation, contact tracing of those person’s contacts, and then quarantine.

“The plans of how we’re going to do that, we’re working on as we speak, and certainly they’ll be fleshed out before any relaxation of social distancing in a county or region of Pennsylvania. I’ve said a number of different times that it’s not going to be statewide, all-at-once.”

Levine cautioned that potential antibody testing would take more time to develop.

“Our state lab director is looking really carefully at the antibody testing that’s available,” said Levine. “And I think that in the future, that will be important. (But) I do not expect that we will have a robust antibody testing before we start to relax social distancing; I think that’s going to come in time.

“We have to be really careful about the accuracy of the tests, we have to make sure we use FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved tests - there’s only really three that are available nationwide now. So using that test, and its utility, will be forthcoming.”

Protests

With protesters sent to descend on the State Capitol in Harrisburg Monday to rally against the shutdowns, Levine noted that those involved should proceed with caution.

“If the protesters stay in their cars and they drive around the capitol and exercise their right to protest, then I wouldn’t expect any particular public health implications,” said Levine. “If, however, they get out of their cars, and they are not practicing social distancing; if they’re not wearing masks; if they’re having personal contact, like shaking hands; if they’re not frequently washing their hands and using hand sanitizer, and they come from various areas of Pennsylvania, then that is a public health risk, and I am concerned for their health.

“(I am concerned) that there will be undiagnosed cases of COVID-19, perhaps in people who have no symptoms, or very early symptoms, that they will pass that virus on to others, and some of those people could get sick. And I think that that would be a shame.”