In an interview with Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine talked about many issues related to COVID-19's impact on northeastern Pennsylvania, including Hazleton.
She acknowledges that it is a place the state is keeping a close eye on and has been working to determine why there are so many cases there.
"The community does have a large non-English-speaking community, a large population in the food industry, and so they're not able to stay home because they're helping us in terms of distributing life-sustaining food, and also a lot of multi-generational homes and all that can lead to the spread of COVID-19 and the increasing numbers," said Dr. Levine.
You can watch the whole interview with Dr. Levine here.
Ryan: "A question our viewers wanted to know, we have been seeing you day in and day out doing your job. People recognize you're out there every day providing these updates. They want to know how are you doing?
"Oh, I'm very well thank you. I try to get enough sleep and eat well and I'm doing fine," said Dr. Levine.
Ryan "Some people wonder, do you think we are going to be seeing you doing those 2 p.m. updates in July?
"I can't give any specific timetable. I often quote Dr. Fauci, the director of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, and what he says 'the virus determines the timeline, we don't determine the timeline.'"
Speaking of Dr. Anthony Fauci, his role has basically made him a national celebrity. Just like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Levine has a Facebook fan page. So what does she think of all
"I'm not here to be a celebrity. I'm here to be a physician and a Secretary of Health and protect the public health of Pennsylvania."
Protecting Pennsylvanians means making the best decisions, even if opinions differ with those of the national leaders.
"The Governor is the governor so the final decisions always rest with the governor."
As Pennsylvania's top doctor, Dr. Levine is the highest-ranking transgender official in Pennsylvania, and with it, plenty of prejudice popping up on social media sites, including Facebook.
Ryan "There's been a lot of haters out there. How do you deal with that? And do you see those comments?'
"I like to quote Yoda. 'Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. And hate leads to suffering.' I think people fear what they don't understand."
Where there is hate there is love. People everywhere have stepped up to support Dr. Levine, part of a social media movement called "#Respect4Rachel."
And while she hasn't had time to check that out, Dr. Levine does make time to keep in touch with her loved ones.
"I talk with (my mother) twice a day and we both talk about our day and our mutual love and support," Dr. Levine said. "I do make sure I get enough sleep. I'm here at our offices for 11 to 12 hours a day. we are here to work for our vision -- a healthy Pennsylvania for all and that's certainly a challenge with a global pandemic."
"Did you ever imagine you'd be handling a pandemic like this in Pennsylvania?"
"What I always said had to be a priority is public health preparedness. And what would wake me up at 3 in the morning is the risk of a global pandemic. And here we are," Levine replied.
Her daily message of stay home, stay calm, and stay safe has taken on a life its own on social media.
"I'm glad that message has come across. All of it is true. We have to stay calm and right now is a time to stay home," she said. "I think it's critically important we have hope for the future and we will get through this as we all work together in the Commonwealth in Pennsylvania. That's the message I'd give."