PENNSYLVANIA

COVID MITIGATION ORDERS TO BE LIFTED: The Wolf administration,?in coordination with the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force, announced May 5?mitigation orders?except masking will be lifted at 12:01 a.m. May 31.

The current order?requiring Pennsylvanians to wear masks will be lifted when 70 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older are fully vaccinated.

Face coverings are required to be worn indoors and outdoors if you are away from your home. In accordance with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance,?fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are not required to wear a mask during certain activities. ?

Requirements such as testing and reporting new cases?will remain in place for hospitals and long-term care facilities. Maintaining requirements for hospitals and long-term care facilities wi?ll allow Pennsylvania to continue to closely monitor COVID-19 spread while lifting other restrictions.

The Department of Health recommends?Pennsylvanians refer to CDC guidance and recommendations regarding ongoing COVID-19 safety measures and procedures.

These updates will not prevent municipalities?and school districts?from continuing and?implementing?stricter mitigation?efforts.

The governor’s?Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic?remains in place.

All Pennsylvanians ages 16 and older are eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine. The provider map is available on the Department of Health’s?website. Pennsylvanians with questions about the vaccination process can call the Department of Health hotline at?1-877-724-3258.?

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

COUNTY PRISON: The Director of Corrections reports that, since the start of the pandemic, 183 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19. Two are currently in quarantine, 181 have finished their quarantine periods or are no longer at NCP. Since March 2020, NCP has conducted 3,034 tests for COVID-19 on inmates. All new inmates coming into the facility receive a test before they are transferred to General Population; residents are tested on a random basis.

Sixty-three NCP corrections officers have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic. All have finished their quarantine periods and returned to work.

There are currently 529 inmates in residence at NCP. Twenty-eight non-violent offenders have been granted extended furloughs.

DRIVE-THRU TESTING CENTER: The Department of Community and Economic Development, Emergency Management Services and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Coordinated Health Allentown Hospital (LVH-CHA) announce a new schedule for the drive-through testing center at 3100 Emrick Boulevard, Bethlehem Township, which began Monday, May 17. Hours of operation will now be Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 10 a.m.– 1 p,m, and Tuesday/Thursday from 3-6 p.m. The testing center will be closed on Saturdays and Memorial Day, May 31.

A physician’s order is not required for a test. The drive-through site is open to everyone, but only residents of Northampton County will have the cost of testing covered by the county 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.

CORONER’S REPORT: Between Jan. 1 and May 9, the Northampton County Coroner recorded 163 COVID-19 related deaths in Northampton County (134 residents/29 non-residents). As of May 3, the Lehigh County Coroner reported 66 deaths of Northampton County residents. Between the two counties, 200 deaths of Northampton County residents from COVID-19 have been reported this year.

“The virus is still active in our area,” says County Executive Lamont McClure. “The positivity rate at the drive-through testing center continues to hover around 22 percent. I urge everyone to socially distance, wear a face mask in public and to get vaccinated.”

In 2020, the Northampton County Coroner reported 403 COVID-19 related deaths (359 residents and 44 non-residents). The Lehigh County Coroner reported 118 deaths for a total of 477 COVID-19-related deaths for Northampton County residents in 2020.

RESCUE PLAN FUNDS: The county has received information from Representative Susan Wild’s office and the Department of Treasury about American Rescue Plan funds for the county of Northampton and guidance on their allowable uses.

The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds are flexible to provide for local needs. Eligible uses include supporting public health expenditures, addressing negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, replacing lost public sector revenue, providing premium pay for essential workers and investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.

Northampton County is slated to receive $61,187,165 from the American Rescue Plan with a 50 percent payment to be delivered in May and the second 50 percent to be delivered in a year from now.

LEHIGH VALLEY

TEENAGE VACCINATION-LVHN: Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is offering the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 12-15 at all COVID-19 vaccine locations, pending the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approval May 12. LVHN is opening scheduling for Thursday and beyond.

Anyone under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to get vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccinations provided by LVHN are free.

More options to receive your vaccine

People can visit one of these five convenient locations with or without an appointment:

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic–Northampton Crossings

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic–Pocono

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic–Hazleton

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic–Schuylkill

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic–MacArthur Road

TEENAGE VACCINATIONS-ST. LUKE’S: St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) will begin providing COVID-19 protection to young adolescents, ages 12-15, using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The FDA and CDC granted emergency use authorization (EUA) for this vaccine in this age group, meaning they can potentially become vaccinated against the virus before summer. This vaccine is the first and, thus far, the only COVID vaccine approved for this age group.

St. Luke’s is offering this safe and effective two-shot protection to children through the same processes that are currently being used for vaccinating adults against COVID.

Schedule through your primary care provider and/or pediatrician’s office.

Call 1-866-STLUKES (785-8537), option 7.

Text VACCINE to 23762 and following the prompts to select your location and date.

Log into or create a St. Luke’s MyChart account to self-schedule a vaccine appointment. Individuals ages 13+ are able to register for their own St. Luke’s MyChart account and are able to schedule themselves. Individuals who are 12 years old will need a parent to create an account or schedule on their behalf.

Individuals 12-17 will need a parent or guardian to complete the Minor Consent Form. Forms will be available at the vaccine locations.

St. Luke’s offers five Pfizer vaccine locations: Bethlehem Campus, Anderson Campus, Monroe Campus, Upper Bucks Campus and Geisinger St. Luke’s.