Pa. launches test program as cases spike

‘Strike teams’ will offer free swabs with no appointments

HARRISBURG—Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, faced with spikes in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, on Tuesday said new testing “strike teams,” offering free virus tests to anyone, would deploy around the state, with Northampton County among the first places to host one.

Wolf and Michael Huff, director of testing and contact tracing at the Department of Health, told reporters the strike teams would start in Northampton, Mifflin, Bedford and Tioga counties at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Another will begin testing in

Butler County on Friday.

Those counties were chosen, Wolf said, because they have “recent, rapid increases in COVID case numbers.”

Wolf said expanded testing was crucial to bringing rampant virus spread under control. There were 5,676 more cases of the coronavirus reported Tuesday along with 180 more deaths, and the number of people hospitalized continued to increase to levels not seen before in the pandemic.

“Our goal is to insure that everyone who needs a test in Pennsylvania can get one,” Wolf said.

Illustrating a vast expansion in the state’s testing capacity, Wolf said 67,000 COVID-19 tests were given from March to May, and now the state is capable doing nearly that many tests in a single day.

Five strike teams, made possible by the expansion of a contract with AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, will operate in the state and go to a different county each week, Wolf said.

They will test only in counties that do not have standalone county health departments.

In Northampton County starting Wednesday, walk-in and drive-thru testing will be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at William Penn Highway Park & Ride on Emrick Boulevard. Some details of the testing arrangement were released earlier in the week.

No appointments are necessary, and Huff said patients are encouraged to bring a photo ID or insurance card for identification purposes. The sites can test up to 450 people a day on a firstcome, first-served basis.

The strike team will use a nasal swab-type virus test, Huff said. Results can be expected within two to seven days.

Concerning results, Huff said, “Even though you have no symptoms, you test positive, you must isolate to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

Contact tracing

Huff, questioned by a reporter on the relatively small number of people who have undergone contact tracing after testing positive, said the state is not “giving up” on contact tracing.

“Our percent is currently is about 21%,” Huff said. “I would say to you that’s 21% of disease that we are handling, and that we are providing education and isolation and quarantine when necessary.”

Huff said “the shortfall of case investigations and contact tracing” has, when communicated by the media, led to groups coming forward to the state and offering help.

“We continue to talk to those stakeholders,” Huff said. “The important thing is to have folks answer the phone and engage in a conversation with the Department of Health.”

Virus statistics

There were 4,744 people hospitalized as midday approached on Tuesday.

That was 113 more than the 4,631 that were hospitalized at midnight, according to state data. Of that number, 970 were in intensive care units.

The case total now stands at 367,140, including 95 in Northampton County and 67 in Lehigh County.

The seven-day moving average of newly reported cases was 6,581 on Tuesday, up 1% from 6,508 a week ago.

On Monday, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said intensive care units and hospitals in general were strained across the state by large numbers of COVID-19 patients.

There have been 10,563 deaths in the state. Of those, 6,570 — or about 62% — have been among residents of nursing homes or personal care homes.

Earlier in the pandemic, the figure was about 68%. Levine said on Monday that the share of deaths among people outside of nursing or personal care homes was increasing.

The newly reported deaths include three in Lehigh County for a total of 385, and three in Northampton County for a total of 336.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Wolf said late Monday the administration was looking at potential ways to avoid a stoppage of hundreds of PennDOT road and bridge projects something the agency threatened to do for lack of money. Republicans said Wolf agreed to make administrative moves to avoid the stoppage.

The agency’s revenue has suffered during pandemic.