The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced two additional presumptive cases in Montgomery County Sunday afternoon. The two adults, like the pair announced Saturday, have mild symptoms and have been isolated at home. Both individuals were exposed to the virus during international travel.
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This came hours after Montgomery County issued a declaration of emergency, following the previous cases announced. Those individuals, a man and a woman, were exposed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, while traveling within the United States. No other information was initially given about either patient, although KYW Newsradio learned one person resides in Worcester, while the other lives in Lower Gwynedd.
Germantown Academy in Fort Washington announced they will close Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as a precaution, as one of the patients has a family member at the school. That student will self-quarantine for at least two weeks. No other information was revealed about the student's identity.
"I have been coordinating with legislative leaders from both parties, and we have agreed to immediately work toward a package that would provide resources to ensure we are aggressively mitigating the spread of COVID-19," said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.
Montgomery County officials told KYW Newsradio they had spent weeks preparing for the coronavirus outbreak using updated pandemic plans previously used for Ebola in 2014 and H1N1 in 2009.
According to Dr. Val Arkoosh, chair of the Montgomery County commissioners, the virus is showing no evidence yet of community spread, and contact tracing is in progress.
"All of the contacts of these individuals have been either contacted or in the process of being contacted," she explained. "They've been advised about the possible exposure to coronavirus, and they have been advised on appropriate next steps."
This came a day after two other presumptive cases of the coronavirus, one in Wayne County and one in Delaware County, were announced. Like the Montgomery County cases, neither were community spread. Both patients were exposed to the virus while outside of the state. Earlier Saturday afternoon, Delaware County Council issued a declaration of emergency.
Councilwoman Elaine Schaefer explained the emergency declaration would allow for increased support to municipalities responding to the virus, as well as ensuring the county receives state and federal funding to address the virus. County officials also activated their Emergency Operations Center at the 911 Center, and created a webpage with additional updates and resources regarding the coronavirus outbreak.
Council Vice Chair Dr. Monica Taylor said officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control are continuing to investigate the case, including "aggressive contact tracing." Taylor said state officials will enact quarantines and notify public locations when necessary.
Taylor said the patient continues to be under isolation at home, and has mild symptoms.
Officials said state health department regulations prohibit them from giving information on the woman's identity or location, but Schaefer argued that isn't important. "It shouldn't make a difference public health-wise to all of us in our efforts towards prevention in where this person is located," she said. "We should all be taking precautions in washing our hands and making sure that we minimize contact with sneezing and coughing."
New Jersey announces new cases
The New Jersey cases involve two North Jersey men, 32 and 70 years old, respectively. Both men are currently hospitalized. All six cases are still under investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. They include a 61-year-old Cherry Hill man hospitalized since Tuesday at Jefferson Cherry Hill.
State officials said 27 others are being investigated, including one in Camden County and two in Cumberland County. According to state epidemiologist Dr. Christina Tan, while most people may have mild symptoms, others may not.
"Knowing that older individuals and people with weakened immune systems might be at higher risk for complications, that's something that individuals should be mindful of, moving forward," she advised.
While Pennsylvania and New York have both declared emergencies to address virus concerns, New Jersey is not at that point yet, according to Matt Platkin, chief counsel to the governor.
State officials said they will take part in a conference call with Vice President Mike Pence, who is coordinating the federal coronavirus response, on Monday.