PENNSYLVANIA, USA — As COVID-19 cases rise across the United States, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said Monday the state isn’t considering bringing back mask requirements or other mitigation efforts at this time.
“Our strategy here in Pennsylvania has been the vaccine. And, that has worked,” said Wolf, who noted that every state -- including Pennsylvania -- has seen a percentage increase in cases as variants like the highly-contagious Delta variant continue to spread.
Wolf said that instead Pennsylvania needs to double down on its efforts with the vaccine, which he said is the best tool to keep themselves and their families safe.
The Delta variant is now the main strain of COVID-19 in the country and it is considered highly contagious. Pennsylvania is not listed among the states with the highest COVID-19 cases at this time.
Dr. Mark Goedecker of Wellspan Health told FOX43 last week that “most, if not all, of the admissions that we are seeing at our hospital, Wellspan’s hospitals, are unvaccinated.”
"Those people that receive the shot are very well protected," he said. "You might get COVID. There is that chance. But, you are not going to get hospitalized with it. You're not going to end up on a ventilator and you're not going to die from this. And, those are things that we really want to prevent.”
Jose Santiago, who heads up the new Welcome Center at the YMCA of the Roses in York, said their organization is working to provide education and access to people who are interested in getting a vaccine.
“Thinking of some of the people that we work with, some are homeless," he said. "Some are near homeless. And, some are from many countries around the world and they don’t understand our system of care,” said Santiago. He later added, “we don’t tend to push it on anybody. But, we tend to make sure the resource is there. So, if they want it and need it that it’s available.”
For assistance with the COVID-19 vaccine, contact the YMCA at 717-812-0119.