Governor Wolf’s administration has announced not only the ability to test for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in Pennsylvania, but furthermore an increase in the capacity of specimens it can test per day.

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that Pa. can now test potential Coronavirus cases in the state public health laboratory in Exton as well as an increase to testing approximately 25 specimens per day. It is also expected that private and commercial laboratories in Pa. will have the ability to test, increasing the ability for testing within the state.

At this time, all positive cases will be reported as presumptive positives and sent to the CDC for confirmation.

The testing is not the same as rapid test done for health conditions such as strep throat and involves being seen by a clinician and having specimens taken and sent to the state lab for testing.

“The ability to test for potential cases of COVID-19 at our state lab allows us to better protect Pennsylvanians,” said Dr. Levine. “This is a very important step for us to receive results more quickly rather than waiting for the samples to be shipped to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To date there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pa.”

To date, there are a reported 94,000 cases of the virus worldwide with more than 3,200 deaths; 128 of those cases within the United States, including nine deaths.

Although all nine of those deaths occurred within Washington state, the virus has spread to several other states including Oregon and California.

The CDC has encouraged everyone to take action to help prevent the spread of this virus, however they do expect cases to continue to be confirmed within the upcoming days and weeks. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the spread of the virus around the world, it is important for families to be prepared.

Some tips to help stop the spread of the virus include: washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 second and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water is not available; cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when coughing or sneezing; clean surfaces frequently including countertops, light switches, cell phones and other frequently touched surfaces; and if you are sick, stay home and avoid contact with others.

“Since the start of this outbreak, we’ve taken a proactive approach to prepare and carefully monitor potential cases of COVID-19 in Pa.,” said Dr. Levine. “As the CDC has said, we need to be prepared for community spread of COVID-19 in Pa. We are working to make sure our health systems, first responders and county and municipal health departments have the resources they need to respond.”

To date, the action the Wold Administration has taken to prepare for the possible community spread of COVID-19 include: activating the Department of Health’s Emergency Operations Center to allow for enhanced response coordination; maintaining communication and outreach with federal, state and local partners; providing symptom monitoring for residents returning to Pa. from China; providing information to health care professionals, businesses and educational settings; and reviewing and adapting current pandemic flu plans for COVID-19.

“As this situation evolves, we will continually update Pennsylvanians through our website, health.pa.gov, our Facebook page and our Twitter account,” said Dr. Levine. “It’s important to remember that the most accurate and timely information regarding this outbreak is available through the Department of Health, as well as the CDC’s website and social media channels.”

Symptoms of the COVID-19 in people who have been exposed can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms can appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days following exposure.

Reported illnesses have ranged from people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.

For information and updates related to novel coronavirus, visit the Department of Health website at www.health.pa.gov or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.