Pennsylvania confirmed more cases of the coronavirus Tuesday, as more schools canceled classes and the city of Philadelphia discourages gatherings of more than 5,000, including professional sporting events and the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
The state Department of Health reported another positive test for the virus, in a resident of Montgomery County, as did the city of Philadelphia. That brings the statewide total to at least 11. A school in suburban Philadelphia also reported that a student has been sickened.
A look at the latest developments in the spread of the new coronavirus in Pennsylvania:
What we know
The state Department of Health said 11 people have tested positive and all of them live in eastern Pennsylvania. The first 10 cases are people believed to have contracted it by traveling outside the state or country. The latest two cases reported Tuesday were people who had contact with someone who tested positive, officials said.
Germantown Academy in suburban Philadelphia said Tuesday that a student tested positive after a parent tested positive earlier this week, KYW-AM radio in Philadelphia and The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Philadelphia officials confirmed its first case of covid-19 on Tuesday. While city officials are not encouraging school closures, they are urging people not to attend events of more than 5,000 people, including professional sporting events and the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
According to the state, eight people who tested positive are residents of Montgomery County, including one identified by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as a cardiologist working at a King of Prussia facility. At least three were hospitalized Tuesday and the rest are at home in isolation, officials said.
Health Secretary Rachel Levine isn’t recommending that large gatherings be canceled.
The illness
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
The vast majority of people recover from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.
What we don’t know
The Department of Health is giving few details about patients. It is not saying how many samples it is testing, how many negative tests it has taken or how many people it is monitoring under quarantine. It is also not saying where precisely someone traveled when they were exposed.
At least three medical personnel who treated people who tested positive have also been quarantined, newspapers have reported.
Cancellations
West Chester University announced Tuesday that it is suspending in-person instruction, and will use alternate modes of instruction for the rest of the spring semester.
The 2020 Northeast Regional Science Olympiad at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, an annual event scheduled for Wednesday that draws more than 800 students in the region, was canceled.
The University of Pennsylvania is preparing to move classes online, if necessary, and is prohibiting all future university-related travel and curtailing large university events at least until April 17.
Penn Medicine has prohibited all faculty, students and staff of both the Perelman School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania Health System from participating in large gatherings.
Testing
The state has a lab in Exton, in suburban Philadelphia, that can test up to 150 people a day. Private labs and academic medical centers are starting to administer tests or will start soon. Levine said there is no testing backlog.
