PA Launches Hospital Coronavirus Preparedness Database

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania has launched a hospital preparedness database, which shows the level of available resources by county.

The database, unveiled Wednesday, shows how many hospital beds, ICU beds, and ventilators available, among other information.

According to the database, 1,898 Pennsylvanians are hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those, 596 are on a ventilator.

The state's hospitals have 5,141 ventilators. Of those, 1,606 are in use for both COVID and non-COVID patients. The state currently has 1,711 — or 40 percent — of adult ICU beds available.

You can view the database here.

Also Wednesday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced he has signed an order to provide critical aid to hospitals with targeted protective equipment and supplies distribution.

He said the order is intended to ensure the efficient allocation and effective use of critical medical resources, such as N95 face masks, ventilators, respirators, face shields, safety goggles, disinfectants and other sanitizing solutions.

Under the order, private, public and quasi-public health care providers and facilities, as well as manufacturers, distributors and suppliers of PPE, pharmaceuticals and other medical resources must submit current inventory quantities.

The inventory must be submitted within five days, the order says. Health care providers and facilities are further ordered to provide written reports detailing facility health care needs and other pertinent information, Wolf said.

“Combatting a pandemic means we all have to work together and that means we need to make the best use of our medical assets to ensure the places that need them most have them,” Gov. Wolf said. “Today, I am signing an order that will allow us to transfer supplies and information between medical facilities to both high-population, high-impact areas and lower population areas that might not have as many existing medical resources."

Pennsylvania reported another 70 deaths related to COVID-19 on Wednesday. It followed the state's largest single-day death count, which was reported Tuesday when 78 virus-related fatalities were confirmed. Wednesday's new deaths bring the statewide total to 310.

But while the number of cases continues to rise, the rate at which they're rising is slightly decreasing, state health officials said.

"We have seen a subtle flattening of the curve, which is good news," Health Secretary Rachel Levine said. She stressed Pennsylvanians "can not become complacent" and must continue social distancing efforts.

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