“Of course, our focus changed dramatically last year,” Levine said, “and COVID-19 became my most urgent and primary focus.” She concentrated on three key priorities: containment with expansion of testing and contact tracing; mitigation with masks and distancing; and medical countermeasures, including monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. To carry out the strategies, she oversaw a health equity task force, which included community stakeholders such as the Black Coalition Against COVID-19, the Latino Connection, and a faith-based program that allowed people to get tested at their places of worship.
When lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) advocates charged that states were not collecting data early in the pandemic on sexual orientation or gender identity, in another historic move, Levine announced in March 2020 that Pennsylvania would begin collecting demographic data on the coronavirus, making it the first state in the country to do so.
Levine has garnered praise from many sources. “This is a proud moment for us,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement, calling her a “cherished and critical partner in our work to build a healthier America.” Alphonso David, then president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement that Levine’s nomination to be the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health represented “real change” in the government’s approach to the coronavirus and LGBTQ+ health issues. Levine “led Pennsylvania’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic superbly,” he said.
She has also triggered a significant amount of outrage in conservative quarters. She was routinely castigated for her early actions in the pandemic. Writing for The American Spectator in May 2020, Paul Kengor, a former UPMC researcher, said UPMC’s overall handling of the virus was “impressive and inspired confidence.” However, tracking the data on fatalities, he said, he found the disproportionate number of deaths in nursing homes “alarming and strange.” Citing an investigative article in the Bucks County Courier Times , he blamed Pennsylvania officials—including Levine—for guidelines that directed licensed long-term care facilities to continue admitting new patients, including those discharged from hospitals back to nursing homes. However, Kengor claimed, the “partisan press” would protect Wolf and Levine: “Levine is a liberal darling as the nation’s first (and arguably highest-ranking) transgender public official.”
At the February 2021 federal confirmation hearing, Levine was pressed on data discrepancies in Pennsylvania’s public reports on nursing home coronavirus deaths and cases. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) cited Spotlight PA reporting that found weekly reports released by the state health department were consistently missing data for more than 100 of the 693 nursing homes. Levine, in response, pointed to lags in the state’s electronic death reporting system and to slow uploads. Pennsylvania health officials also referred to a state law that prohibits the release of disease records by state or local authorities.
In a June 2020 opinion article, Levine wrote that the Pennsylvania Health Department had followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, including limiting outside people from entering long-term care facilities. The Pennsylvania Health Department also sent thousands of shipments of personal protective equipment and conducted virtual inspections, including on-site inspections as warranted.