PA Now Has 11 Covid Cases, Monroe County Patient Released from Hospital this Morning

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed today an 11th "presumptive positive" case of the Coronavirus in Pennsylvania. Todays update included the information that the patient in Monroe County's only case so far was released from the hospital overnight and is in isolation at home. His family, contacts, and caregivers are being monitored as well.

“To update you on one of the cases we announced yesterday, the patient from Monroe County has been released from the hospital and is in isolation at home,” said Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine. “There are no other changes to the other patients that we have described.” Explaining, Levine said that “Isolation separates individuals that are sick . . . from people who aren’t sick.” On the other hand, "quarantine" is the term used for confining those exposed to the virus, "to see if they become sick," Levine said, "If someone is in quarantine, they may not be sick, and they may not become sick.”

The Department of Health checks daily on individuals on home isolation or quarantine. "We check on them daily, we’ll be making regular phone calls,” Levine said. “We don’t watch them 24/7.”

The Secretary said that, in order to protect the privacy of patients, the Department would not release any information about the patients beyond what the Department determines is necessary to protect public health. The public can follow updates about the situation in Pennsylvania, and information about preventive measures, on the Department's COVID-19 Update Page.