Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine speaks at a coronavirus press conference. ( Office of Gov. Tom Wolf ) HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania Department of Health slashed the state’s COVID-19 death toll on Thursday by 201, saying probable deaths it had previously included in the count were eliminated after further investigation.
The overall death toll now stands at 1,421, down from 1,622 reported a day earlier. The number of deaths confirmed by a positive virus test actually rose overnight by 69, to 1,394.
But Levine said Thursday that 270 probable deaths that had been added to the death toll in recent days have been removed after further investigation. “This verification process is very intensive and under normal circumstances it