State orders all 2 and older to wear face coverings at school at all times
by PublicSource Reporters
In September, the state plans to release COVID Alert PA, an app that will use Bluetooth technology to notify a user who has been exposed to the virus, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Tuesday.
The app — created in partnership with the developer NearForm, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania — will not compromise a user’s location or identity, she said.
“This innovative solution doesn’t replace our case investigators and our over 1,200 contact tracers,” Levine said. “It actually enhances their efforts.”
Residents who have contracted the virus may experience difficulties remembering those they may have been in close contact with, which is where the app can help, Levine said. The app will measure time and distance through Bluetooth and will inform users when they’ve spent 15 minutes or more within 6 feet of someone who’s later tested positive for COVID-19.
The app is both anonymous and voluntary and doesn’t track where a user travels. COVID Alert PA uses the same technology that phones use to communicate, Levine said. The state will also not use COVID Alert PA to enforce quarantines, she said.
Pennsylvania is working with Delaware and surrounding states to ensure the app works outside the state.
“The more people who have the app, the more effective it will be in terms of this notification process,” Levine said. “We really call upon everybody to stop the spread.”
Student face coverings order
The health secretary also discussed Monday’s announcement from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Department of Health requiring all students to wear face masks in school. The announcement is a clarification of information the state provided in July, Levine said.
Allegheny County health officials on Tuesday reported 45 COVID-19 infections and one fatality. Since mid-March, Allegheny County has seen 9,549 cases of the virus and 291 deaths.
The cases reported Tuesday are among residents between the ages of 17 and 91 and were found within a pool of 810 test results. The positive test results are dated between July 14 and Aug. 17.
The individual who died of COVID-19 was in their 70s and was connected to a long-term care facility. Since March 14, 887 county residents have been hospitalized for the virus.
Levine confirmed 735 additional cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total number of infections to 125,579 since the start of the pandemic.
The state has also seen 31 new fatalities reported since Monday. In total, 7,499 Pennsylvanians have died of COVID-19. Of patients who’ve contracted the virus, 79% are considered to be recovered, Levine said during a press conference.
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