by PublicSource Reporters
Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine on Wednesday warned that the threat of the U.S. Supreme Court dismantling the Affordable Care Act in the middle of a pandemic was “horrifying.”
Levine said she supported state legislation backed by the Wolf administration to shore up protections under threat by a Texas lawsuit before the high court.
In a wide-ranging Q and A with the media, Levine discussed:
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- That long-term effects of COVID-19 are more likely to affect women than men. And a study out of France has found the average age of what is called “long haulers” was 40 years.
- A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] study showing that 35% of COVID-positive respondents experienced COVID-19 symptoms weeks and months after exposure. Among long haulers 18 to 34 years old and previously healthy, 20% experienced symptoms for 14 to 21 days.
- To date in Pennsylvania, 49 children have been diagnosed with the new syndrome associated with the coronavirus called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children [MIS-C].
“So, as we have national discussions about health care, the potential for people with pre-existing conditions, that possibility to lose health care access is just a terrifying proposition in the middle of this global pandemic,” Levine said.
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania case counts
The Allegheny County Health Department [ACHD] reported 106 new COVID-19 infections Thursday and no new COVID-related fatalities. The newly reported cases bring the total count since March 14 to 12,454 infections.
The case tally released Thursday came from 913 tests conducted from Sept. 26 through Sept. 30. The new infections were among patients ages 11 to 101, with the median age being 44. More than half of the cases were in people younger than 50.
To date, the county has had 382 deaths and 1,217 people hospitalized because of the virus.
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