Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the state was in the midst of “exponential growth” in the spread of coronavirus with an additional 103 cases as of Saturday morning, bringing the statewide total to 371.

“We will have an underestimate in the number of new cases,” she said. “That is true of many illnesses, particularly the flu . . . More important than the specific accuracy of the numbers is trying to prevent its spread.”

Pennsylvania is considering a “shelter-in-place” order similar to those instituted in California and Illinois, Levine said, but that was not expected to come Saturday. The department is still discussing the possibility with the governor’s office.

Gov. Tom Wolf already called for non-life-sustaining businesses to close as the administration considers applications for exemptions.

“We expect most businesses are not necessarily life-sustaining ... and they will close,” Levine said Saturday.

Earlier in the morning, Allegheny county health officials announced the death of a Covid-19 patient, the second such death across the state so far. That came after a death last week in Northampton County.

So far, Levine said, most new cases have come from middle-aged people. But everyone is at risk, she stressed.

“We are still seeing a significant number of young adults, even in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have required hospitalization,” she said. “So it’s very important for young adults not to be complacent.”

Given the downswing in seasonal flu, Levine said, health officials can increasingly presume anyone with symptoms -- a cough, fever and shortness of breath sometimes accompanied by gastrointestinal upset -- has COVID-19. She encouraged people experiencing mild symptoms to stay home.

Levine said Pennsylvania is working to expand access to both testing and personal protective equipment statewide. In all, another 3,766 patients tested negative via commercial and state laboratories.

“We are actually seeing a spike in cases because more people are infected,” she said, not just because of more widespread testing.

READ MORE: UPMC announces Dauphin County testing location

Wallace McKelvey may be reached at wmckelvey@pennlive.com. Follow him on Twitter @wjmckelvey. Find PennLive on Facebook.

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