During a Sunday afternoon press conference, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine answered questions, several of which were posed by News Talk 104.1 and the following have been responded to by the Department of Health.
News Talk 104.1 asked a question seeking to learn if patient zero in Pennsylvania has been identified.
A story in the New York Post today identified and updated the condition on patient zero in the State of New York.
According to the article, New York patient zero has been released from the hospital and is home now.
News Talk 104.1 Question: Has patient zero in Pennsylvania been identified (no name) and the region of the state they are from?
Regarding your question on patient zero, the Disease Control and Prevention Act limits information being released to only what is necessary to protect the health and well being of Pennsylvanians. Therefore, we will not be releasing case specifics.
News Talk 104.1 Question: As a follow-up, has that finding given any guidance on community spread?
At this time, we know that community spread is occurring in parts of the state, but not all of Pennsylvania. As cases continue to increase, it will make it more and more likely that community spread is occurring statewide.
More information on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 can be found here.
News Talk 104.1 Question: Does smoking put someone at greater risk for contracting COVID-19?
Older adults and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. Recent studies suggest older people are twice as likely to have serious COVID-19 illness because:
• As people age, their immune systems change, making it harder for their bodies to fight off diseases and infection; and
• Many older adults are also more likely to have underlying health conditions that make it harder to cope with and recover from illness.
If you are at increased risk for COVID-19 complications due to age or because you have a severe underlying medical condition, it is especially important for you to take action to reduce your risk of exposure.
Additional information can be found here: https://www.quit.org.au/articles/faqs-coronavirus-covid-19-and-smoking/
News Talk 104.1 Question: Dr. Gottleib (FDA) has been referenced in having a plan to move to Phase II mitigation, one of the standards beyond case reduction (14 days) is ability to test anyone as well as non-crisis footing for hospitals, is PA there yet?
The above listed question has to date not been answered by Governor Wolf, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine, the Department of Health.
