Credit: Andrea Hanks
The White House coronavirus response coordinator visited Pennsylvania on Thursday.
Dr. Deborah Birx, a medical expert and ambassador-at-large, met with Gov. Tom Wolf and members of the state COVID-19 response team just outside of Harrisburg.
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“We really saw Pennsylvania, in the March and April time frame, really worked diligently, and every Pennsylvanian worked together to really decrease the number of cases,” Birx said.
The doctor thanked Pennsylvanians and health officials for the way they’ve handled the ongoing pandemic that has sickened at least 6,087,403 Americans and killed 185,092 people. As of Thursday, the state reported 136,771 cases and 7,732 deaths since the pandemic began.
Birx noted that a mid-summer spike in cases was brought down due to solid leadership and citizens giving physical distance and wearing masks, simple ways to slow the spread of the virus.
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“I never give anyone an A, but I think they’re close to a B-plus, A-minus range. A really terrific job,” she said of the response in the state.
The Pennsylvania native was quick to point out that the threat is far from gone.
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“Together, we need to get through Labor Day weekend really protecting one another. Please wear a mask and don’t have a party where you don’t have a mask on,” Birx said.
People who travel to hot spots need to wear a mask and keep an eye on their health to make sure they are not sick and spread the virus in their hometown, Birx said.
“For some reason, people felt that if they’re on vacation they’re safe and they did things there that they wouldn’t of done in their hometown,” she said.
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Children, according to the doctor, need to also wear masks to keep the spread of the virus down.
Wearing a masks when with others, as the state requires, is a simple way to support businesses so they can stay open during the pandemic, she told reporters.
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Pennsylvania was taking the right actions to limit the spread of the virus in the community and through restrictions placed on some businesses, including restaurants and bars, Birx explained.
Birx said federal officials have been working with models from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to determine what mitigation measures that are needed. She noted it was used as federal officials worked with southern states who saw a massive uptick in cases in summer.
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Birx said that northern states were hit hard early on due to asymptomatic spread in long-term care and nursing homes. She added that at that time, there were many unknowns with the virus as it quickly spread.
The governor and his administration has received criticism from some Republicans and President Donald Trump, Birx’s boss, over the state’s handling of the pandemic. A effort to impeach the governor quickly failed in the Republican-controlled state House of Representatives.
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