PENNSYLVANIA, USA — We've been reporting the number of cases across Pennsylvania and locally since the COVID-19 pandemic reached our state almost a month ago, and it's important to understand the context of those numbers compared to our total population.
There are more than 328 million people in the United States, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from July 2019. That's the most recent data available.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there are about 258,000 cases across the country. That's .08% of the total population.
If you look at Pennsylvania, there are roughly 12.8 million people living here according to the same data. The Department of Health said there were more than 8,400 people who have tested positive for COVID-19. That's .07% of the state's population.
However, Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said expect that number to rise, if we don't follow social distancing guidelines.
"The key as the Governor has been emphasizing is to prevent the surge from becoming high enough that could overwhelm any health care system," Levine said.
You can drill down on the data in our area too. Let's look at the most populated counties: Lancaster and York. There are nearly 546,000 people in Lancaster County, with 232 cases of COVID-19 reported there, or about .04% of the population.
In York County, there are just over 449,000 people, and 121 cases of COVID-19 reported. That works out to about .03% of all people living in York County.
This information is not designed to downplay the pandemic, just to help you understand the context of the case numbers you see and hear going up everyday.
Everyone should still be following Dr. Levine's advice:
"Pease wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or the amount of time it takes to sing happy birthday twice," Levine said. "Use hand sanitzier if soap and water aren't available, cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow not with your hands. Try not to touch your face, mask might help with that too, especially after touching surfaces, and clean surfaces frequently."
Experts said this pandemic might end sooner and we can all get back to normal life, if we listen to Dr. Levine's biggest daily reminder:
"What is most important for Pennsylvanians to remember is stay calm, stay home, stay safe," Levine said.
It's also important to note, the number of cases we provide are the confirmed cases. Health experts have said they believe there are more people with COVID-19 that haven't been tested.