Spotlight PA coverage of Pennsylvania state government’s response to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19(Page 2) • Spotlight PA

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Coronavirus

State lawmakers are calling into question whether the Department of Health should be jumping into emergency, pandemic-related contracts after a severe data breach from contact tracing.

Health officials request $124 million in pandemic-related emergency contracts as GOP calls for oversight

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

In House and Senate hearings this week state lawmakers pushed for more oversight as health officials doubled down on its needs to secure emergency contracts for contact tracing and COVID-19 tests.

“I can tell you that we are taking an aggressive approach to ensure that nursing home residents get the care they need and deserve,” Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said during an afternoon news conference.

Nursing homes would provide more direct care to residents under proposed Pa. rule

by Jaime Martines of Spotlight PA and Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA

The state currently requires nursing homes to provide residents with 2.7 hours of direct care each day, despite a much higher federal recommendation.

Lawmakers will question top health department officials this week about why they are rushing another contact tracing program agreement after the state fired the last company for a data breach.

Pa. requested $340 million in emergency contracts in 2020 with little oversight

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania agencies turned to the emergency procurement process that avoids public scrutiny 483 times last year. In years prior, they made on average 135 requests annually.

The Department of Labor & Industry admitted it owes millions of dollars to formerly unemployed Pennsylvanians.

‘Human error,’ lack of oversight led to multimillion-dollar unemployment mistake, Wolf admin discloses

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

An internal investigation was completed in mid-2017, but a summary of the probe was not released until Spotlight PA began asking questions.

The Department of Labor and Industry addressed the problem publicly after being contacted by Spotlight PA.

Department of Labor admits it overcharged unemployed Pennsylvanians millions of dollars

by Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA

The agency publicly estimated Friday that the mistake affected roughly 250,000 people, after months of inquiries from Spotlight PA about the issue.

State lawmakers are calling into question whether the Department of Health should be jumping into another, more expensive contact tracing contract after a severe data breach with the last company.

After contact tracing data breach, Pa. sidesteps scrutiny on proposed $34M contract

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

State lawmakers are calling into question whether the Department of Health should be jumping into another, more expensive contact tracing contract after a severe data breach with the last company.

Insight Global, the company in charge of contact tracing in Pennsylvania, assured in April that it had secured all links from a data breach. After a Spotlight PA report found that to be incorrect, the company called on former and past employees to help resolve the issue.

Fired Pa. contractor seeks to secure contact tracing data after learning personal info still online

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

After Spotlight PA found that Insight Global, the company handling contact tracing for the state, had not secured its data breach issues, the company called on former and current staff for help.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, cannot veto the measure.

Legislature votes to immediately end Pa.’s coronavirus disaster declaration while keeping waivers in place

by Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA

Republicans said terminating the emergency order was what Pennsylvanians demanded when they granted the legislative branch new powers during the May primary.

Personal data of people contacted by contact tracers in Pennsylvania remained online more than a month after the company responsible assured the public it had been secured.

Personal data from Pa. contact tracing calls still online despite assurances it had been secured

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

A spreadsheet of data was still online as of Wednesday, raising questions about whether the company, Insight Global, or the state can be confident they know where all the information might be stored.

Within the first 12 hours of the launch, more than 62,000 Pennsylvanians had filed claims and the Department of Labor & Industry deemed the new system a success.

Jobless in Pa. livid over new unemployment system errors as state declares victory

by Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA and Christian Hetrick of The Philadelphia Inquirer

A new wave of problems blocked numerous people from filing for benefits they had already been approved for.

Members of the Poor People's Campaign in Pennsylvania gathered on the steps of the Capitol to call for a "just and moral budget."

With $10,000,000,000 to spend, advocates press Wolf, Pa. lawmakers to prioritize poor people

by Shaniece Holmes Brown for Spotlight PA

Buoyed by $3 billion in excess tax revenue and more than $7 billion in stimulus dollars, Democrats want the state to go big, while Republicans are wary of huge new spending.

A contingent of right-wing Republicans says the grants were fundamentally unfair because Democratic-leaning counties got more money. Election directors in those areas used those funds to offer voters additional ways to cast a ballot, such as by opening satellite offices and making drop boxes available.

Mark Zuckerberg helped some Pa. counties survive the 2020 election. Right-wing lawmakers say that was unfair.

by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA

More than 20 Pennsylvania counties turned to private philanthropy when it became apparent the Republican-led General Assembly wasn’t going to help them cover COVID-related expenses.

Giorgi Mushroom Company worker Juan Frutos gets a vaccine shot from Penn State Health nurse Christy Daniels during a clinic facilitated by Latino Connection's mobile unit. The Wolf administration hired the group this spring to address persistent disparities.

A stark racial divide on vaccinations leaves many at risk as Pa. reopens

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

As the state eases distancing and mask mandates, health officials are still failing to successfully vaccinate communities that have been disadvantaged from the start.

Gov. Tom Wolf said some of the provisions targeted by GOP lawmakers are outside the scope of the disaster declaration. That includes the power to close businesses and to set maximum occupancy limits.

Newly empowered, Pa. GOP lawmakers move to end parts of Wolf’s coronavirus disaster order

by Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA

Gov. Tom Wolf called the vote “a discouraging development” following a “productive meeting with the legislature” after the May 18 primary, when voters backed curtailing his powers.

One provider who reported a high number of spoiled doses cited a late shipment from the state and a lack of demand.

After citing privacy law, Pa. backtracks and discloses wasted vaccine details

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Just 0.18% of more than 10 million doses given to hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers through May 21 were discarded.

The Wolf administration has forcefully pushed back on the claim that it can only mandate business closures when a disaster declaration is in place, arguing that power resides with the state’s health secretary.

Voters back curtailing Wolf’s emergency powers in win for GOP lawmakers

by Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA

The votes represent a victory for Republican lawmakers in what is widely seen as a referendum on the Wolf administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Tom Wolf's administration announced coronavirus mitigation efforts, except masking, will be lifted on Memorial Day.

Pennsylvania will lift most COVID-19 restrictions on Memorial Day

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

A universal mask order will be lifted after 70% of adults are vaccinated, Gov. Tom Wolf's administration announced.

All Pennsylvania voters — yes, that includes independents and minor-party members — will be asked to consider four ballot questions on May 18.

Your guide to Pa.’s 2021 primary ballot questions

by Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA

Voters will be asked to settle a contentious dispute between the Wolf administration and the GOP-controlled legislature about the governor's executive powers.

Pennsylvania is temporarily suspending its use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after rare reports of people forming blood clots after receiving it.

Pa. ‘pauses’ Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after blood clotting reports

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

The move comes after health regulators established a small number of cases of blood clotting in women after being given the shot.

Syringes containing vaccine stand at the ready for members of the public to get the vaccine administered to them in the Sullivan County Elementary School in Laporte Bourgh Sullivan County Pennsylvania Fred Adams/for Spotlight PA 1-29-21

Pa. lawmaker wants to compel Wolf administration to release details of wasted COVID-19 vaccine doses

by Ese Olumhense of Spotlight PA

The state Department of Health denied a public records request from Spotlight PA, citing a decades-old law that it has frequently used to shield the public from scrutinizing its pandemic response.

The Department of Corrections will distribute Johnson & Johnson's single dose, coronavirus vaccine to thousands of inmates and correctional officers.

‘A turning point’: Thousands in Pa. prisons will be offered COVID-19 vaccine

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

Public information about the vaccine rollout in the facilities is limited, after the Department of Corrections failed to meet its own deadline to relaunch a transparency dashboard.

Amber Pedro, a volunteer from Family Practice Laporte, administers the vaccine into the arm of Robert Keen, 84 of Forksville, in the cafeteria of the Sullivan County Elementary School.

All Pa. adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccine as of April 19, Wolf says

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

As part of the accelerated rollout, law enforcement, grocery store workers, and people who work in food-processing plants are eligible as of today.

While high-level statistics show the state is making progress, county-level data shows that some Pennsylvanians are apparently faring better based on where they live. In Sullivan County, where local and state officials ran a vaccine clinic in late January, 37% of residents have received at least one shot.

Inside Pennsylvania’s race to expand who’s eligible for the coronavirus vaccine

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

The state has made significant progress in its vaccination effort after Gov. Tom Wolf came under intense scrutiny, but that progress still depends, in part, on where you live.

Gov. Tom Wolf's administration has repeatedly cited a decades-old law to prevent the public from scrutinizing its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Wolf administration refuses to release details of wasted COVID-19 vaccine doses

by Ese Olumhense of Spotlight PA

The state Health Department is once again citing a decades-old law that it has used numerous times to prevent greater public scrutiny of its coronavirus pandemic response.

Michelle Perry of Philadelphia protested outside Gov. Tom Wolf's Center City office earlier this month, demanding "a working unemployment system to provide timely responses and benefits to unemployed workers."

As thousands of unemployment claims expire, Pa. residents refile, wait on federal benefits

by Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA

The expiration of state benefits for many and the new federal stimulus law are creating fresh confusion and potential gaps in payments for people who have been desperate for help for the past year.

Spotlight PA wants to hear from current and former employees of the state Department of Labor and Industry about administering unemployment benefits during the pandemic.

Have you helped process Pa. unemployment claims this past year? Spotlight PA wants to hear from you.

by Rebecca Moss of Spotlight PA

We're seeking current and former employees of the state Department of Labor and Industry about their experiences during the pandemic.

The coronavirus forced many people to navigate the state’s public assistance system for the first time, advocates told Spotlight PA, which came with its own set of challenges.

A huge spike in Medicaid enrollment in Pa. shows how devastating the coronavirus has been

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA and Ese Olumhense of Spotlight PA

Enrollment in the program rose by more than 388,000 people, or 13.7%, including in counties that, historically, have been wealthier than some of their counterparts.

Sen. James Brewster has introduced a bill to ban Pennsylvania state lawmakers from receiving "per diem" expense payments for travel, lodging in addition to their full-time salaries.

Ban on meal, lodging payments for Pa. lawmakers introduced as constituents sound off in anger

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

The bill has just four co-sponsors, a reflection of how difficult it is to garner support in Harrisburg for measures that pare back government perks.

Dr. Rachel Levine, who oversaw the state health department during the first year of the pandemic, was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as assistant health secretary.

Levine pressed for answers on Pa.’s missing nursing home data as confirmation advances

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

U.S. House and Senate Republicans also want more information on the state’s overall response to nursing homes, citing several Spotlight PA reports.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is offering $25 in commissary credit to inmates who get the coronavirus vaccine, and has seen promising results.

Two Pa. prisons have vaccinated more than 70% of inmates. An incentive program may be making a difference.

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA and Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

While the vast majority of Pennsylvania’s inmates reject flu shots, most who were offered a COVID-19 vaccine have taken it.

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