Hospitals across the state are already coping with a massive surge in COVID-19 patients in recent weeks -- straining staff and filling ICU beds.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield says more patients could create a critical situation for health care systems.
He’s urging residents to stay off the roads to prevent car accidents. And be extra careful with clean-up to avoid trips to the ER.
“The day after a snowstorm is one of the busiest days, and the reason being is because people go out and they try to recover. And that’s when people have heart attacks, and they have strokes and they slip and fall, and those types of things. And that’s when the emergency departments get extremely busy.”
Padfield is encouraging residents to take their time digging out and work together with friends and neighbors to recover from the storm.