As First Vaccinations Reach Hospital Workers, Public Infection Rates Remain High and Testing Supplies Run Low

The first COVID-19 vaccination in Pennsylvania was administered on Monday, December 13th, to Charmaine Pykosh, an acute care nurse practitioner in a surgical intensive care unit at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh.

By Thursday, December 17th, 1,200 health care workers across the Commonwealth had received the new Pfizer vaccine, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said, as the daily total of new infections stood at more than 9,000 statewide and COVID-related hospitalizations stood at more than 6,200 – about double the peak experienced in the spring.

Of 6,209 hospitalizations reported by the Department of Health, 1,246 patients were in intensive care units. Most of the hospitalizations involved patients aged 65 or older. Yet, the distribution of the new vaccine provided hospital staffs a ray of hope as they continued their crisis response amid dire circumstances.

Joshua Copeland, a cardiologist at Einstein Medical Center (in Philadelphia), got his vaccination and returned to a unit where five out of 14 patients are on ventilators due to COVID-19,” the Inquirer reported.

“Many patients on my service are intubated on a ventilator, very ill, critically ill, some that are on maximum support from a ventilator and it’s still not enough,” Copeland said.

On December 16th, Governor Tom Wolf announced and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine announced that 16 Pennsylvania hospitals had received shipments of the vaccine, a number that continues to grow by the day and hour, despite the winter storm that blanketed the Commonwealth this week.

“Each day, hospitals will be shipped vaccines directly from Pfizer and will begin administering it to health care workers at the hospital,” Secretary Levine said. “The 87 hospitals receiving shipments this week enrolled to be COVID-19 vaccine providers. The federal government has determined the amount of vaccine and when the vaccine is distributed. Hospitals receiving the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine must be able to handle the ultra-low temperature storage requirements.”

The Wolf administration has published a 67-page “interim plan” covering the vaccination process from preparedness planning, distribution, documentation, communications, and monitoring.

Widespread public vaccinations are likely still weeks or months away. In the meantime, many healthcare facilities are also coping with a surge in demand for virus testing and a shortage of testing materials.

“Over the Thanksgiving holiday, many Philadelphians waited for hours to get tested,” the Inquirer reported. “Some didn’t receive their test results for weeks. Pennsylvania is ranked 51st among U.S. states and territories in the number of tests conducted per 100,000 people as of December 16th, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.”

Facing Federal Shutdown, Congress Takes COVID Relief Negotiations Into Final Hours

As the midnight deadline for a federal government shutdown neared on Friday, December 18th, Congressional negotiators continued to insist they were committed to sealing an agreement on a new, $1 trillion COVID-19 relief package.

Without a relief deal in place, Congressional leaders could also put the brakes on a stopgap defense spending bill, which would trigger a partial government shutdown. However, with a relief agreement in place, the shutdown could be avoided and lawmakers could vote on the relief package over the weekend.

The Associated Press reported that Democrats have objected to an effort by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, to rescind $400 billion in emergency lending powers granted to the Federal Reserve in March under the CARES Act.

“Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is shutting down the program at the end of December but Toomey’s language goes further, and Democrats say the provision would tie President-elect Joe Biden’s hands and put the economy at risk,” the AP reported.

U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Colorado Democrat, responded to the proposal: “If every there is a time to put politics aside and do the right thing, it should be in the middle of a pandemic and corresponding economic crisis. President Trump had these authorities available to him. President-elect Biden should too.”

The consensus components of the agreement reportedly include $300 billion in aid to businesses; a $300-per-week federal bonus to unemployed individuals and renewal of soon-to-expire state unemployment benefits programs; one-time payment of $600 to individuals; vaccine distribution funding; and funding for renters, schools, the U.S. Postal Service, and food assistance for those in need.

Unresolved Democratic priorities included the removal of local government matching funds requirements for COVID-19 disaster grants, as well as many non-pandemic-related add-ons.

PA Restaurants Renew Calls for Federal Relief as Latest Surge Threatens Their Survival

As COVID-19 mitigation measures continued to impact businesses that have had to reduce capacity or close their doors, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association has joined the urgent call for financial relief.

“The Coronavirus could force nearly half of Pennsylvania restaurants to close permanently in 2021 if business owners don’t get more relief soon,” WITF reported.
PRLA President and CEO John Longstreet told the network, “Most of these are going to be the independent, beloved restaurants that are the heartbeat of many of our downtown areas. They don’t have the resources, or they don’t have restaurants in other states that are still operating at reasonable levels to help carry them through.”

The association surveyed restaurants throughout the Commonwealth and found that 12,000 – about 45% of all Pennsylvania restaurants – are in dire need of financial support. Longstreet added that the association would like the state to defer the requirement that businesses prepay sales tax. The deferment would help them increase cash flow. Association members also seek additional funding for the state’s unemployment benefits programs.

“Workers desperately need unemployment. Unemployment is running out,” Longstreet told the network.

As of May 2019, there were 509,330 people employed in food preparation and service occupations throughout Pennsylvania. The sector accounted for 8.6% of the state’s workforce.

The National Restaurant Association reported similar findings as the PRLA. Half of Pennsylvania’s restauranteurs surveyed said they could be out of business by next summer without additional federal relief. Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have proposed the allocation of $300 million in state relief directly to restaurants, taverns, and hospitality industry. The funding is part of the $4 billion PA CARES 21 plan and would be funded largely by the state’s low-interest borrowing.

With new, limited-time COVID mitigation regulations in effect statewide through January 4th, the administration has ramped up its enforcement efforts. The Department of Agriculture has deployed inspectors to make unannounced visits to affected businesses, notably restaurants and taverns.

“At least 150 restaurants had defied Pennsylvania’s new ban on indoor dining and received warnings within the first three days of the order,” the Inquirer reported, citing information provided by the state. “... The restaurant owners could face fines or temporary closure for flouting the new restrictions.”

The civil penalties could include fines of $300 per day and cease operations orders, which would bring a halt to outdoor and take-out business, too.

The Pennsylvania State Police post their enforcement figures for businesses online. Most of their activity has been via the Bureau of Liquor Enforcement,  which issued 17 warnings and 11 notices of violation (pending citation) between December 14th and December 17th under guidance issued by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on June 18th. Since July 1st, BLE has issued 1,845 warnings and 428 notices of violation statewide.

Barracks-based State Troopers issued four warnings and zero citations to businesses for violations of the limited-time COVID mitigation polices (December 12th through 17th). Regarding worker health and safety orders that have been in effect since April 19th, Troopers have issued 74 violation warnings and zero citations. There were no warnings or citations issued from December 14th to 17th.

November 2020 PA Jobs Update

Pennsylvania’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell for a seventh consecutive month in November 2020, dropping to 6.6%, falling 0.8% over the month. The national rate in November 2020 stood at 6.7%. This marks the first time Pennsylvania’s rate has been below the national rate since May 2015. PA’s rate in November was down 9.5% from its record high in the seasonally adjusted series of 16.1% in April 2020 (dating back to 1976). Between February and April 2020, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose 11.4% (from 4.7% to 16.1%).

This and the other changes to data noted in this update reflect the evolution of Pennsylvania’s employment situation through the coronavirus pandemic (please see the **footnote below). Over the month, unemployment rolls fell by 54,994 individuals, lowering total unemployment to 418,383. Since hitting a series record high of 1,037,087 in April (with growth of 728,059 between Feb. and April), total unemployment has declined by 618,704. However, it should be noted that estimates for most states in the household survey (measures unemployment and employment – see *footnote below) were again affected by misclassification from respondents in November 2020 (i.e. workers who should have been classified as unemployed on temporary layoff).

As of November 2020, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate stood 1.9% higher than its level of 4.7% in February 2020, with total unemployment standing 109,355 above its total of 309,028 individuals in February 2020. For context, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate had declined 0.7% over both of Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020, with total unemployment down by 35,408. State unemployment statistics for the month are as follows:

• Total Unemployment – 418,383
• Change Over Month –    DOWN    54,994
• Change Over 9 Months –    UP    109,355
• Change Over Year –     UP   114,313
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    UP    73,947
• Rate Change Over Month –    DOWN    0.8%
• Rate Change Over 9 Months –    UP    1.9%
• Rate Change Over Year –    UP    2.0%
• Rate Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    UP    1.2%

As indicated above, total unemployment’s rounded percentage of the labor force, or unemployment rate, fell over the month (rate = unemployment / labor force). The labor force is the number of employed individuals combined with the number of unemployed individuals actively searching for work. Labor force growth can be a sign of a strengthening economy from more people working and/or more individuals searching for jobs. Following a rollercoaster of declines and rebounds over the course of the pandemic, PA’s labor force fell for a second consecutive month in November 2020, dropping by 39,762, a combination of total employment* rising by 15,232 and unemployment down by 54,994 as noted above. The decrease lowered PA’s total labor force to 6,333,348, which is still above its coronavirus pandemic low of 6,312,511 in August.

As of November 2020, PA’s labor force was down by 225,071 individuals (unemployment +109,355 & employment -334,426) from its record high of 6,558,419 in February 2020 in the seasonally adjusted series (dating back to 1976). For context, PA’s labor force had grown by 159,267 individuals (unemployment -35,408 & employment +194,675) over both of Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020. State labor force statistics for the month are as follows: 

• Total Labor Force – 6,333,348
• Change Over Month –     DOWN   39,762
• Change Over 9 Months –    DOWN    225,071
• Change Over Year –    DOWN    206,711
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –    DOWN    65,804

PA Non-farm* job rolls rebounded for a seventh consecutive month, albeit at a slower pace that has been seen in recent months, with growth of 21,000 in November 2020, raising total non-farm employment to 5,637,600. Over the last seven months, non-farm employment has grown by 644,500, after experiencing a loss of 1,116,500 over March and April 2020 combined (bringing non-farm employment in April 2020 to 4,993,100, its lowest level on record in the seasonally adjusted series – dates back to 1990). As of November 2020, non-farm job rolls were down by 472,000 from a record high of 6,109,600 in February 2020 (please see the attached spreadsheet for comparison to other states for change in non-farm employment from Feb. 2020 – Nov. 2020). For context, non-farm employment had grown by 295,700 over both of Governor Wolf’s terms as of February 2020. State non-farm employment statistics for the month are as follows: 

• Total Non-Farm Employment – 5,637,600
• Change Over Month –   UP    21,000
• Change Over 9 Months –    DOWN    472,000
• Change Over Year –    DOWN    452,600
• Change Over Gov. Wolf to Date –     DOWN    176,300

*Total employment for labor force provided by U.S. Census Household survey. The separate BLS Establishment survey measures non-farm jobs only.
**Survey periods for data are as of the middle of the month, meaning changes occurring beyond this time are not captured for the month.

COVID-19 Job Impact by State

(Feb.-Nov. 2020; in Thousands; Source: U.S. BLS)