Pennsylvania uses ‘weighted lottery’ to distribute lifesaving COVID-19 drug to lower income patients
Betsy McCaughey, former Lt. governor of New York, wants to draw attention to the dangerous implications of hospitals using a ‘weighted lottery’ favoring low-income patients in the distribution of remdesivir, a scarce COVID-19 drug.
Pennsylvania has recorded no new deaths attributed to COVID-19 for the first time since late March, health officials reported.
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On Monday, the death toll remained at 7,209, while public health officials noted there’s often a lag in reporting of cases and deaths from the weekend.
Deaths have been trending down in Pennsylvania since mid-May, while infections have been climbing since mid-June.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher than the state’s confirmed case count because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.
The state Department of Health reported 565 new virus infections on Monday.
More than 114,000 people in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.
Allegheny County reported an increase of 68 cases and Philadelphia reported 71 new cases.
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The last time that neither the state Department of Health nor a county health department confirmed a new coronavirus death in Pennsylvania was on March 20, when the statewide death toll stood at one.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.