WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has awarded nearly $17 million to Pennsylvania, and an additional $3.5 million to Philadelphia, to help confront the widening threat of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has sickened more than 1,000 nationwide, including 21 people in Pennsylvania.
Yet Pennsylvania state health officials on Thursday were still waiting for its portion of the federal dollars and determining how to dole it out.
“We know that the federal government is moving quickly on this, but since it is coming from them, we don’t have a timeframe,” said Nate Wardle, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Some of the funding will be used for lab equipment, protective clothing for health workers and overtime pay, Mr. Wardle said, while some will be provided to the state’s 10 county and municipal health departments as part of their responses. Mr. Wardle said state officials were still working through how much to distribute to the local departments.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which announced about $560 million in funding this week, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The funding is the first haul from an $8.3 billion emergency package approved by Congress last week.
“President [Donald] Trump, and his entire administration, will continue working to ensure state and local jurisdictions have the resources they need to keep Americans safe and healthy,” said Alez Azar, the department’s secretary, in a press release.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced changes to allow schools to serve free and reduced lunches to children outside of school. Pennsylvania was one of nine states approved by the department to serve meals outside of a group setting, the USDA said.
“We are working to ensure children who are affected by school closures continue to get fed,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a statement Thursday. “We intend to use all available program flexibilities and contingencies to serve those affected by the outbreak.”
The federal money was slated to arrive as five additional cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania were announced Thursday, bringing the total number in the state to 21.
Nearly 200 patients have been identified for testing in Pennsylvania, health officials said Thursday. About 100 tested negative for COVID-19, and 75 tests are pending, officials said. Some state labs were concerned over coronavirus tests running out.
Allegheny County officials, in a press conference with reporters Thursday, said they could not release the number of people in the county who have been tested.
State health officials are “controlling this, so we’re not permitted to give that information out,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
Daniel Moore: dmoore@post-gazette.com, Twitter @PGdanielmoore
First Published: March 12, 2020, 11:22 p.m.
