State health officials urge students age 13+ to download COVID-19 tracing app to help stop spread

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and Department of Education are urging students ages 13 and up to download the COVID Alert PA app to help contact tracing and fight the spread of COVID-19.

Health Dept. Sec. Dr. Rachel Levine said the app is now available to students age 13 and up, with parental permission, to join the more than 623,000 residents who have already downloaded the app.

“Middle school and high school students can now add their phone to the fight and help with contact tracing in their schools,” she said.

This comes after a “concerning milestone” of 4,405 hospitalized patients, 918 who are in the Intensive Care Unit and 465 who are on ventilators. Most of the patients hospitalized are ages 65 or older.

“We have clearly surpassed our highest number of hospitalizations from the spring,” Levine said.

A two-day total of 107 new deaths were also reported; 34 reported Monday and 75 reported Sunday, or a total of 10,383 deaths attributed to COVID-19. Most of the deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older.

The department also reported a two-day total of 9,797 additional COVID-19 cases; 5,529 from Sunday and 4,268 reported Monday, bringing the statewide total to 361,464.

Sixty percent of those are considered recovered cases, or more than 30 days past positive test or onset of symptoms.

The trend in the 14-day moving average of number of hospitalized patients per day has increased by nearly 3,000 since the end of September. Statewide percent positivity for the week of Nov. 20 to Nov. 26 stood at 11.7%.

The department has seen significant increases in the number of COVID-19 cases among younger age groups, particularly 19- to 24-year-olds.

In nursing and personal care homes, there are 35,367 resident cases of COVID-19, and 6,661 cases among employees, for a total of 42,028 at 1,266 distinct facilities in 64 counties. Out of the total deaths, 6,477 have occurred in residents from nursing or personal care facilities.

Approximately 14,499 of the total cases are among health care workers.

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