Not much changed over the weekend. Nothing good, anyway, as the state tallied over 9,000 more COVID-19 cases over the two-day reporting period.

COVID-19 positive cases, as well as the number of questions surrounding the pandemic, continued to rise through Monday morning.

“We can answer the call by wearing a mask, which is a proven public-health measure, endorsed by medical experts, politicians on both sides of the aisle and many others to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” said Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine during Monday’s news conference.

In a news conference last week, Levine said only 21% of people answered the question about whether or not they frequented in a large business or large gathering when a case investigator called them. She said on Monday that number dipped another 5%.

“We can answer the call by practicing social distancing, avoiding large and small gatherings, and staying away from people who are not a part of our immediate household,” Levine said “I know that this is extremely challenging, particularly as the holidays approach.”

Schools

The Pleasant Valley School District reported Monday a student in the intermediate school tested positive.

Superintendent Dr. Lee Lesisko said the student had not been since Friday Nov. 6.

“We are following our Health and Safety Plan and taking all the necessary safety precautions, including contacting the PA Department of Health. All individuals who have been in close contact have been notified and operations at the intermediate school will continue as normal.”

Many counties across the state have entered the COVID-19 substantial spread status. With Monroe moving into substantial status, all counties in the Times News region are in that designation.

On Friday, the Montgomery County Board of Health mandated all of its schools to close for two weeks. Will local schools close? Superintendents over the last week have stressed that they are trying to stay open to facilitate better learning for students.

“It’s impossible for me to predict the future and of course there is local control,” said Levine. “We support local communities taking action to stop the spread and doing what they feel is necessary in their communities.

“Local communities make the decisions in their area in terms of schools. We really support the authority of local communities to make decisions in their local areas, according to mitigation to what they see in their community. They have the best clue-in, in terms of what’s going on in their facility. What we’re (the DOH) doing is looking at things statewide.”

As for college students, Levine suggests getting tested before heading home for the holidays.

“There is a considerable risk for communities as students leave their colleges and go home,” said Levine. “It would be very prudent for college students to get a test before they go home. If they are positive, they should isolate where they are.”

The surge

The state continues to report record-breaking pandemic numbers every day. Carbon County had an increase of 44 cases over the two-day reporting period. Lehigh saw an increase of 279. Levine said the cold weather is one of the contributing factors.

“People are going more and more indoors,” said Levine. “Respiratory viruses are spread much more unfortunately effectively indoors. We are seeing the fall resurgence that we’ve been anticipating and preparing for. It’s a significant resurgence in Pennsylvania and throughout the country.”

Too many tests

Levine said there is now more of a lag time to get back test results.

“It’s because of the number of tests that are being done and then sent to the commercial laboratories - as has happened before,” Levine said.

“We have ramped up our testing significantly. We are getting now an average of 45,000 test results per day, and many days over 60,000 per day. That’s a combination of the PCR test and the antigen testing.”

Who’s helping long-term care facilities?

The Regional Response Health Collaborative is a statewide program providing clinical, operational and educational support to long-term care facilities that are preparing for or facing outbreaks of COVID-19.

Launched in July, RRHC meets multiple times per day with organizations such as the department of health and department of human services.

“The RRHC provides support such as testing, PPE, infection control and many other needs,” said DHS secretary Teresa Miller. “Determinations are also made regarding the deployment of a rapid response team to a facility with COVID-positive cases.”

The RRHC’s rapid response team is a critical team sent to a facility, such as a long-term care facility, that is facing a crisis.

“They key element in a rapid response is really based on a CDC study that indicates that getting out there quickly to these facilities really leads to a decrease in the spread of COVID infections,” said Dr. David Kelly during a media briefing Monday. “That’s the essence of why we’re focused in getting out there quickly to work with these facilities.

“To go on site, look at test results, help with ongoing testing. … but also helping that facility to cohort and make sure from an infection control standpoint, that appropriate PPE is being used and it’s fit properly, as well as being able to establish other infection control.”

The RRHCs are available 24/7 to support the nearly 2,000 nursing facilities, personal care homes, assisted living residences, and private intermediate care facilities in Pennsylvania and the residents they serve.

Led by Lehigh Valley Health Work and Geisinger, who serve 10 counties in northeastern Pennsylvania’s RRHC region, completed 960 missions; including facility assessments, testing assistance, training and much more since RRHC’s existence.

Follow the leader?

Many bordering states have taken a step back to enforce stronger public protocols and restrictions. Levine said that won’t be happening in Pennsylvania.

“We have no plans to go back to red-yellow-green or any type of scheme like that.”

Levine was scheduled to talk more about mitigation efforts at 1 p.m. Tuesday. See tnonline.com for updates.