DRIVE THRU COVID-19 TESTING: NORCO Emergency Management Services are releasing the results from COVID19 drive-through testing site from the drive-through testing site which has been available at Coordinated Health at 3100 Emrick Blvd in Bethlehem Township since July 2020. Currently, the positive rate for COVID-19 at that site is 19.2 percent.

The COVID-19 drive-through testing site is open at 3100 Emrick Blvd. Bethlehem Township, 18020. Hours of operation are Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 9:00AM – 4:00PM and Tuesday/Thursday from 11:00AM to 6:00PM. The site is open on every Saturday from 9:00AM – 12:00 Noon. The drive-through testing center is located in the parking area to the rear of the Coordinated Health Building and is separate from patient parking and routine patient care. The majority of patients tested at this site received their results in one-to-two days.

A physician’s order is not required but, to be eligible for testing, individuals must report or display one or more CDC-recognized symptoms of COVID-19: fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat or loss of taste and/or smell. The drive-through site is open to everyone, but only residents of Northampton County will receive a free test if they do not have health coverage. All testing will be through HNL Lab Medicine unless insurance requires an alternate laboratory. Participants should bring a photo ID and their insurance card, if they have one, with them to the testing site.

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

GRACEDALE VACCINATIONS: Gracedale employees received the first round of inoculations Dec 29. Staff and residents lined up for the second distribution on January 3rd. At least two more vaccine distributions are scheduled for this month.“As of now, approximately 22% of Gracedale’s staff and 27% of the residents have received the first of two COVID-19 inoculations,” says Lamont McClure. “I’d hoped those numbers would be higher, but there have been issues with logistics including short notice for vaccine distributions and a four page disclosure statement which is difficult for some of our residents to fill out.”

Gracedale staff members are eligible to be reimbursed $750 if they receive both shots for the vaccine.

COUNTY PRISON: The Director of Corrections reports that, since the beginning of the outbreak last March, 137 inmates at the Northampton County Prison (NCP) have tested positive for COVID-19. One-hundred-thirty-one have finished their quarantine periods or are no longer at the institution; six are currently in quarantine. Since March, NCP has conducted 1,882 tests for COVID-19 on inmates. Residents are tested on a random basis. All inmates coming into the facility receive a test before they are transferred to General Population. Less than 3% of the 405 inmates who entered NCP in November and December tested positive for COVID-19.

Forty-two NCP employees have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic. Forty-one have finished their quarantine periods and have returned to work. One staff member is in quarantine.

To protect the health of inmates and staff, volunteers, visitors and tours were banned from the prison on March 10. NCP has suspended all programs and will reevaluate restarting those services in January. Inmates can contact their loved ones via phone, tablets or mail.

There are currently 522 inmates in residence at NCP. Twenty-nine non-violent offenders have been granted extended furloughs.

PENNSYLVANIA

VETERANS HOME: Pennsylvania’s six veterans homes, operated by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA), have begun onsite COVID-19 vaccination clinics for residents and staff. The vaccination clinics, which are administered by CVS/OmniCare as part of the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program, will continue to be administered through early February to ensure all residents and staff who want the vaccine receive it.

Residents and staff at long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania are prioritized as part of the PA Department of Health’s first phase of those eligible to receive the free vaccine. A second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is required after three weeks to reach full effectiveness and will be scheduled accordingly at each of the six homes. Vaccinations are being made available to all residents and staff, but they are not required to receive the vaccine.

Each Veterans Home will continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PA Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) care guidance.

TESTING: The Department of Health today highlighted that Pennsylvania is above the average national testing rate as noted in the White House Task Force Weekly Report dated January 3.

According to the report, Pennsylvania was at the yellow level for number of tests performed per 100,000 people for the previous week. The yellow level is 2,000 to 2,999 tests per 100,000 population.

UNEMPLOYMENT BOOST: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier today announced that thousands of Pennsylvanians will begin receiving an extra $300 per week in unemployment payments starting this week. The extension of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program is part of the federal stimulus that Congress passed last month.

PLCB ENFORCEMENT: Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control Enforcement Officers visited 921 licensed liquor establishments from Monday, Jan. 4 through Thursday, Jan. 7 to ensure businesses are abiding by COVID-19 mitigation requirements that include social distancing, masking, and other health and safety requirements of the liquor code.

Liquor Control Enforcement Officers issued 17 notices of violation and 25 warnings for failing to follow COVID-19 requirements

Complaints regarding licensees not complying with COVID-19 mitigation mandates may be directed to the BLCE at 1-800-932-0602 or reported through the BLCE’s online complaint form.

COVID-19 ENFORCEMENT: The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s (L&I) Bureau of Labor Law Compliance released data related to COVID-19 enforcement actions for Dec. 28, 2020, to Jan. 1, 2021. The information is specific to COVID-19 mitigation efforts related to businesses that are not covered by other state agencies, boards, or bureaus.

To date, the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance has assigned 262 cases to its investigators. Between Dec. 28, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2021, the Department was referred 11 new cases and completed 5 investigations that were sent to the Department of Health (DOH).

The Department of State’s Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation (BEI) today released data related to COVID-19 enforcement actions from Dec. 27 through Jan. 3.

From Dec. 27 through Jan. 3, BEI performed 288 total inspections and opened 3 investigations during which COVID-19-specific compliance was a focus. This week, the Bureau distributed one warning letter and two compliance letters relating to COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

RESTAURANT ENFORCEMENT: The Department of Agriculture today released data related to COVID-19 restaurant enforcement actions from Dec. 28, 2020 through Jan. 3, 2021. The department’s Bureau of Food Safety performed 373 inspections, 99 of which were complaint-driven. Of those, 96 were COVID-19 specific complaints. The department received 244 food facility COVID-19 related complaints, and 101 of those complaints were referred to local and county health jurisdictions.

Inspectors closed 36 restaurants by order after each was confirmed to be open for dine-in service and refused to comply with the temporary order while an inspector was present.