Looking Back: 5-Year Anniversary of COVID-19

March 10, 2025

This month marks five years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Pennsylvania. Hospital teams throughout the commonwealth stepped up as heroes to care for and protect our communities as they navigated a constantly evolving web of challenges.

Here’s a quick look back at the past five years and the lasting mark the pandemic has left on Pennsylvania health care.

Timeline 

The first COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania were confirmed March 6, 2020 and then-Governor Tom Wolf declared an emergency the same day. In the weeks that followed, the statewide shutdown took effect and hospital were required to halt non-emergent procedures.

Hospitalizations spiked to 24,506 during December 2020 and then again to 26,206 during January 2022 with the emergence of the Omicron variant. During the spring of 2021, hospitals played a central role administering vaccines to protect communities. The federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) ended May 11, 2023.

Impact on Pennsylvania

By the end of COVID-19 PHE in May 2023, Pennsylvania had more than 3.5 million COVID-19 cases and 52,311 deaths.

Health care heroes

From the start of the pandemic, Pennsylvania’s hospital teams stepped up to serve as a foundational piece of the public health response. They took extraordinary measures to safely care for patients, erecting testing tents, increasing intensive care unit capacity, and establishing COVID-19 units. To minimize the virus’s spread and save lives, the hospital teams tested, treated, and vaccinated millions of Pennsylvanians.

Embracing innovation

Hospital teams stepped up in new ways to support their communities during the pandemic. HAP’s COVID Innovation Awards highlighted the ways that hospital teams went above and beyond to keep their communities safe.

Slow recovery

Hospitals are still recovering from the challenges that the pandemic and its aftermath brought to their ability to care for communities. Through December 2022, Pennsylvania hospitals incurred $8.1 billion in additional expenses and lost revenue as a result of the pandemic. Hospitals continue to navigate a myriad of financial and operational challenges in the pandemic’s wake that threaten access to care in Pennsylvania communities.

HAP thanks the hospitals and health care professionals who continue to care for and improve the health of our communities.

During January 2024, HAP and Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council partnered on a report examining the last impact of COVID-19 on Pennsylvania. The report is available online.