CBS News: White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has tested positive for COVID-19.

Seven (7) new cases added Monday in Lycoming County now at 751 cases and no new deaths, 26 total deaths, with 13,826 negatives according to DOH report.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19,

672 Positives Bring Statewide Total to 164,207

Pennsylvanians Urged to Download COVID Alert PA App

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed as of 12:00 a.m., October 5, that there were 672 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 164,207. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

The number of tests administered within the last 7 days between September 28 and October 4 is 187,158 with 7,385 positive cases. There were 18,466 test results reported to the department through 10 p.m., October 4. These results represent the total number of tests administered.

There are 8,227 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 11 new deaths reported. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.

“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts. The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings, and telework will help keep our case counts low. Make your phone part of the fight against COVID-19 today by downloading the COVID Alert PA exposure notification app. Together, as Pennsylvanians, all of our efforts are designed to support our communities to ensure that cases of COVID-19 remain low.”

Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

There are 825 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 646 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

There are 1,940,952 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Approximately 1% are ages 0-4;
• Nearly 2% are ages 5-12;
• Nearly 5% are ages 13-18;
• Nearly 14% are ages 19-24;
• Nearly 36% are ages 25-49;
• Approximately 21% are ages 50-64; and
• Nearly 22% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

The department is seeing significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds. An alert was sent to healthcare providers about the changing COVID-19 case demographics, as there are more cases in younger age groups than in those 50-64 and 65+. The following regions saw significant increases among 19 to 24-year-olds in each month from April to the end September:

• NC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to 64 percent of cases in September;
• NE – 6 percent of cases in April to nearly 34 percent of cases in September;
• SE – Nearly 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 28 percent of cases in September;
• SW – Approximately 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 25 percent of cases in September;
• NW – Nearly 7 percent of cases in April to approximately 18 percent of cases in September; and
• SC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to approximately 16 percent of cases in September.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 23,312 resident cases of COVID-19, and 5,175 cases among employees, for a total of 28,487 at 993 distinct facilities in 61 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,485 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 11,003 of our total cases are among health care workers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Currently, all 67 counties are in the green phase of reopening.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, Oct. 4:

• Provided Pennsylvania State Police enforcement data.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.

Thanks Senator Toomey for his years of service

Washington – Today, Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) issued a statement on Senator Pat Toomey’s recent announcement that, after 18 years in public service, he will not seek re-election to the Senate or run for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022.

Congressman Fred Keller made the following statement:

“Senator Toomey’s years of service to Pennsylvania have left a lasting positive impact on the citizens of our Commonwealth. During his time in office, Senator Toomey has spearheaded efforts to improve the lives of Pennsylvanians by advocating for lower taxes, smaller government, and fewer regulations.

“Senator Toomey will leave behind an impressive legacy of fiscal conservative leadership. I thank Senator Toomey for his friendship and his important work in improving our state and nation. I look forward to continuing to work in collaboration with him during the balance of his term in the United States Senate.”

Monday morning Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey announced he will not seek reelection to Senate and exit in 2022.

Toomey also announced will multiple inquiries being made to him about statewide office he will also not run for Governor in 2022.

The field of potential primary candidates is huge for both the Senate and Governor races.

Republican Candidates Senate:

Lou Barletta, former U.S. Representative for PA-11

Jeff Bartos, businessman and former Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2018

Jim Cawley, former Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Jake Corman, Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania Senate and State Senator for PA-34

Mike Turzai, former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and candidate for governor in 2018

Democrat Candidates Senate:

Tom Wolf, Current Governor of Pennsylvania

Jim Kenney, mayor of Philadelphia

Conor Lamb, U.S. Representative for PA-17

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Attorney General

Joe Torsella, Pennsylvania Treasurer

Republican Candidates Governor:

Laureen Cummings, former Lackawanna County Commissioner and Republican nominee for U.S. Rep. PA-9 (2012)

Mike Kelly, U.S. Representative for PA-16

Paul Mango, businessman and candidate for governor in 2018

Douglas V. Mastriano, State Senator for PA-33

William McSwain, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Dan Meuser, U.S. Representative for PA-9

Democrat Candidates Governor:

John Fetterman, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

Chrissy Houlahan, U.S. Representative for PA-06

Jim Kenney, mayor of Philadelphia

Conor Lamb, U.S. Representative for PA-17

Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Attorney General

Joe Torsella, Pennsylvania Treasurer

As reported here, On July 16, 2020 Toomey joined Congressman Fred Keller in Williamsport for a visit with business leaders at the Williamsport Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.

Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced that an additional $96 million in state grants have been approved for 5,373 Pennsylvania small businesses that were impacted by the business closure order due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. 

Businesses in every county were approved for grants in this round of funding, and 52 percent are historically disadvantaged businesses.

To date, more than 10,000 businesses were approved for $192 million in grants through the COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance Program.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been caused a lot of hardship for our business community, and it has been particularly difficult for Pennsylvania’s small businesses to weather the economic effects of this crisis. Pennsylvania’s small business owners are community-focused employers, and they drive our economy, so they deserve our support as we continue to navigate this public health crisis,” Gov. Wolf said. “As we seek to recover, and rebuild our economy following the downturn caused by this pandemic, it’s critical that we provide opportunities for these businesses to recover and rebound, and this funding will provide much-needed support for businesses in communities across the state.”

The governor announced this funding at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg and was joined by public officials and the owners of two local businesses: D.McGee Design Studio, located in the market, which was approved for a $10,000 grant, and Gifted Hands Barber Studio, located on 3^rd Street near the market, which was approved for a $5,000 grant.

The COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance funding was developed in partnership with state lawmakers and allocated through the state budget, which included $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, of which $225 million was earmarked for relief for small businesses.

The Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) distributed the funds to the Pennsylvania Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which are administering the grants.

“We’ve seen the impact of this pandemic-fueled economic crisis on the small businesses in our communities. We targeted these funds to reach the smallest and most vulnerable businesses across the state and as CDFIs, we were able to mobilize our networks to reach those who have been hardest hit by the pandemic,” said James Burnett, vice chair of the PA CDFI Network and executive director of the West Philadelphia Financial Services Institution. “The PA CDFI Network is grateful for the partnership of Governor Wolf and the Pennsylvania Legislature as we move quickly to get these resources into the hands of those most impacted by the crisis.”

“I am extremely proud we were able to work together and to get much needed grants to the small businesses across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that serve as the backbone to our economy,” said state Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery). “With that said, this should not be the end of the push to help our small business community. There are still CARES dollars available and thousands of businesses that have applied for this program seeking relief and the General Assembly must prioritize focusing on those needs and getting our people through this pandemic.”

HARRISBURG, Pa – The Pennsylvania Department of State announced this morning that online voter services and election applications are fully operational following an outage that began late Saturday.

Multiple commonwealth agencies were impacted by the outage that was due to an equipment failure at a data center managed by Unisys for the commonwealth.

“The outage was due to an issue with the contractor’s equipment, and there is no evidence of malicious interference,” Secretary Boockvar said. “All data was backed up, as always.”

Voters can once again go online to votesPA.com to register to vote, apply for a mail ballot, or check their voter registration, among other services.

The Department of State’s professional licensing services are among the applications that are still affected. The Commonwealth Office of Information Technology and Unisys are working to restore those functions as quickly as possible.

Online services for the departments of Revenue and Human Services and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board also are affected.

Harrisburg, Pa – Due to an equipment failure at a data center managed by Unisys for the commonwealth, multiple commonwealth agencies, including the Department of State, are experiencing an outage of many online services that began late Saturday.

“We are working around the clock with our vendors to bring services back online as quickly as possible and will continue to do so until operations are fully restored,” said Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome.

Many of the Department of State’s election-related and professional licensing services are among the applications affected, including online voter registration and the online application for mail ballots.

Pennsylvanians can still download and print the paper voter registration and mail ballot applications as well as other election-related forms and applications, Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar noted. Those without access to a printer can call the department’s toll-free voter hotline, 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772), and request that an application be mailed to them.

Additionally, counties will still have the ability to process registrations and mail-in and absentee applications and ballots via alternative processes, and will also continue to be able to generate reports and export data for other continuing election processing.

“The outage is due to an issue with the contractor’s equipment, and there is no evidence of malicious interference,” Secretary Boockvar said. “All data was backed up, as always. Commonwealth IT personnel are working with Unisys to restore service as soon as possible.”

Most of the resources on the department’s votespa.com website, including contact information for county election offices and information on new voting systems, are still accessible. The department’s election-related and professional licensing services, including online voter registration and mail ballot application, are unavailable at this time as a result of the outage.

Online services for the departments of Revenue and Human Services and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board also are affected.

The commonwealth apologizes for this inconvenience and will provide updates as the repair process proceeds.

Harrisburg, PA – The Office of Administration and its partners are working to resolve an IT hardware issue affecting access to online services in multiple state agencies.

“We are working around the clock with our vendors to bring services back online as quickly as possible and will continue to do so until operations are fully restored,” said Secretary of Administration Michael Newsome. “In the meantime, the affected agencies are working to activate their continuity plans and provide additional information to customers of the impacted services.”

The issue began at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Technicians identified the cause as an equipment failure at a data center managed for the commonwealth by Unisys and immediately began to work on plans for recovery, which are in progress. There is no indication at this time of any malicious physical or cyber activity, or that any loss of data has occurred.

Twenty (20) new cases added Saturday and Sunday in Lycoming County now at 744 cases and no new deaths, 26 total deaths, with 13,765 negatives according to DOH report.

Department of Health Provides Update on COVID-19,

2,251 Two-Day Positives Bring Statewide Total to 163,535

Pennsylvanians Urged to Download COVID Alert PA App

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed that as of 12:00 a.m., October 4, there were 2,251 additional positive cases of COVID-19 over two days, bringing the statewide total to 163,535. A technical issue that is now resolved caused the delay in Saturday’s reporting and the need to report a two-day total today. All 67 counties in Pennsylvania have cases of COVID-19.

The number of persons tested and reported to the Department of Health within the last 7 days (between September 27 and October 3) is 187,883.  Of these, 23,979 persons were reported yesterday, October 3.

There are 8,216 total deaths attributed to COVID-19, an increase of 17 new deaths reported. County-specific information and a statewide map are available on the COVID-19 Data Dashboard.

“We know that congregation, especially in college and university settings, yields increased case counts. The mitigation efforts in place now are essential to flattening the curve and saving lives,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and following the requirements set forth in the orders for bars and restaurants, gatherings, and telework will help keep our case counts low. Make your phone part of the fight against COVID-19 today by downloading the COVID Alert PA exposure notification app. Together, as Pennsylvanians, all of our efforts are designed to support our communities to ensure that cases of COVID-19 remain low.”

Mask-wearing is required in all businesses and whenever leaving home. Consistent mask-wearing is critical to preventing the spread of COVID-19.

There are 850 cases who have a positive viral antigen test and are considered probable cases and 646 patients who have a positive serology test and either COVID-19 symptoms or a high-risk exposure.

There are 1,931,635 patients who have tested negative to date. Of the patients who have tested positive to date the age breakdown is as follows:

• Approximately 1% are ages 0-4;
• Nearly 2% are ages 5-12;
• Nearly 5% are ages 13-18;
• Nearly 14% are ages 19-24;
• Nearly 36% are ages 25-49;
• Approximately 21% are ages 50-64; and
• Nearly 22% are ages 65 or older.

Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older, and most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older. More data is available here.

The department is seeing significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19 to 24-year-olds. An alert was sent to healthcare providers about the changing COVID-19 case demographics, as there are more cases in younger age groups than in those 50-64 and 65+. The following regions saw significant increases among 19 to 24-year-olds in each month from April to the end September:

• NC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to 64 percent of cases in September;
• NE – 6 percent of cases in April to nearly 34 percent of cases in September;
• SE – Nearly 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 28 percent of cases in September;
• SW – Approximately 5 percent of cases in April to approximately 25 percent of cases in September;
• NW – Nearly 7 percent of cases in April to approximately 18 percent of cases in September; and
• SC – Approximately 7 percent of cases in April to approximately 16 percent of cases in September.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 23,232 resident cases of COVID-19, and 5,153 cases among employees, for a total of 28,385 at 991 distinct facilities in 62 counties. Out of our total deaths, 5,483 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities. A county breakdown can be found here.

Approximately 10,963 of our total cases are among health care workers.

For the latest information for individuals, families, businesses and schools, visit “Responding to COVID-19” on pa.gov.

Currently, all 67 counties are in the green phase of reopening.

Statewide – The Wolf Administration has since noon, Oct. 2:

• Announced that Pennsylvanians can now use COVID Alert PA app when traveling to NY, NJ, DE.
• Announced a comprehensive health care reform plan.

The Wolf Administration stresses the role Pennsylvanians play in helping to reduce the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
• Cover any coughs or sneezes with your elbow, not your hands.
• Clean surfaces frequently.
• Stay home to avoid spreading COVID-19, especially if you are unwell.
• If you must go out, you are required to wear a mask when in a business or where it is difficult to maintain proper social distancing.
• Download the COVID Alert PA app and make your phone part of the fight. The free app can be found in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store by searching for “covid alert pa.

Updated Coronavirus Links: Press Releases, State Lab Photos, Graphics

• Daily COVID-19 Report
• Press releases regarding coronavirus
• Latest information on the coronavirus
• Photos of the state’s lab in Exton (for download and use)
• Coronavirus and preparedness graphics (located at the bottom of the page)
• Community preparedness and procedures materials

All Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to sign up for AlertPA, a text notification system for health, weather, and other important alerts like COVID-19 updates from commonwealth agencies. Residents can sign up online at www.ready.pa.gov/BeInformed/Signup-For-Alerts.