Pennsylvania hospitals will receive strike teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to relieve capacity strains at hospitals in areas hit hardest by the latest COVID-19 surge, acting Secretary of Health Keara Klinepeter confirmed Dec. 28.
Strike team placements will be decided by the federal government as the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency work with federal partners. Gov. Tom Wolf initially requested additional support from the government Dec. 15.
State data last updated Dec. 27 shows the three counties with the highest number of cases in the current surge are Philadelphia County, Allegheny County and Bucks County.
"At this time, we do know that strike teams will be sent to the commonwealth and are working with our federal partners to identify and confirm exact locations and any additional resources," Ms. Klinepeter said.
Beginning on or around Jan. 3, strike teams will be sent to Scranton Regional Hospital and WellSpan York.
Editor's note: This piece was updated Dec. 30 to include the hospitals receiving strike teams.