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One month after schools reopened, Pennsylvania enters fourth surge of pandemic
The coronavirus continues to spread through Pennsylvania at an alarming rate, with the state now recording nearly 5,000 cases a day, double the rate a month ago. An average of 40 people are dying across the state each day, and the surge of new cases portends a new wave of deaths in the coming weeks. The number of hospitalizations has doubled since mid-March to almost 3,000, 20 percent of which are in intensive care units (ICUs).
Pennsylvania classroom with in-person instruction (Credit: Conestoga Valley School District Facebook page)
This rapid rise in cases and hospitalizations takes place roughly a month after schools reopened in Philadelphia and throughout the state, and is occurring despite the ramping up of vaccinations. More than 42 percent of Pennsylvanians have received their first shot and 25 percent are fully vaccinated. However, there are still millions of people who are vulnerable to infecti
Boyertown Area Multi-Service launched its new Homelessness Task Force thanks to a fundraising campaign with a matching donation from a local bank.
During the month of March, the Multi-Service raised more than $14,000 through its Stronger Together Campaign. Ambler Savings Bank helped kick off the campaign by matching dollar-for-dollar every donation up to $5,000.
Multi-Service teamed up with The United Way of Boyertown to prioritize homelessness as a critical need in the community by creating the Task Force to offer rapid response to those in crisis, the two organizations announced in a release.
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Additionally, the Case Management Program has been revamped to reflect the needs of the community in regards to housing. This includes a 90 plus day program that stabilizes housing and addresses the barriers that created the issue in the first place.
On Wednesday, 243 staff members in the Boyertown School District got their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine thanks to a local pharmacy.
Acting Superintendent Marybeth Torchia said the district was recently approached by Ed Hudon, owner of the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy in Boyertown, who was looking for an efficient way to distribute doses of vaccine he was receiving.
The pharmacy and school district collaborated, Torchia said, and within days a plan was hatched to use the library at the high school as a vaccine clinic.
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School nurses and other staff members were utilized to help operate the clinic â doing things like helping people keep 6 feet away from others and monitoring patients for the required 15 minutes after getting the shot â with Hudon doing the actual injecting.