PA Lists Deaths at Nursing Homes

By Walter F. Roche Jr.


Half of the Pennsylvania deaths from the coronavirus were residents in nursing homes, according to data released today by the state Health Department.
The data show the most nursing home Covid-19 deaths occurred in Montgomery County, west of Philadelphia. The deaths, according to Health Secretary Rachel Levine, occurred in 52 nursing home and personal care facilities in the county.
The report does not provide specific data for any specific nursing home. Overall the state has reported 647 deaths from Covid-19, 324 coming in nursing homes or personal care homes.
The Montgomery County nursing home deaths topped even the amount recorded in Philadelphia. The records show there were 34 deaths in 41 Philadelphia nursing homes. A total of 602 patients in the Philadelphia facilities tested positive for the virus.
Levine said her agency had taken a "deep dive" into the data and the agency was providing assistance to facilities in such areas as infection control.
The Pennsylvania data tracks anecdotal information from other jurisdictions where the incidence of the virus in nursing homes has become increasingly evident. Some state veterans homes have also reported high numbers of Covid-19 patient deaths.
At Pennsylvania veterans homes, which are licensed as nursing homes, active cases have been reported at two facilities.
A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded nursing home residents were particularly vulnerable due to the age of residents and the confined space coupled with the highly contagious nature of the Covid-19 virus.
In the Philadelphia region deaths among nursing home residents totaled 16 in Chester County at 14 facilities, 24 in Bucks County at 29 facilities and 41 deaths at 34 Delaware County locations.
At the opposite end of the state, Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh reported 16 deaths in 18 facilities.
Other Pennsylvania counties with a high number of nursing home deaths include Lancaster with 20, Luzerne with 21 and Berks with 13. Among counties with no reported nursing home deaths were Dauphin and York in the central part of the state.


COVID-19 Cases Associated with Nursing Homes to Date
Facility County Number Of Facilities Number Of Cases Number Of Deaths
ADAMS 1 1 1
ALLEGHENY 18 140 16
BEAVER 2 70 10
BERKS 12 193 13
BUCKS 29 178 24
BUTLER 3 17 2
CARBON 2 12 5
CHESTER 14 105 16
CLARION 1 1 0
CLEARFIELD 1 1 0
COLUMBIA 1 12 0
CUMBERLAND 3 30 2
DAUPHIN 3 28 0
DELAWARE 34 288 41
ERIE 1 1 0
FAYETTE 1 3 1
INDIANA 2 11 1
LACKAWANNA 9 169 12
LANCASTER 17 248 20
LEBANON 1 5 0
LEHIGH 10 125 10
LUZERNE 11 132 21
LYCOMING 1 1 0
MERCER 1 1 0
MONROE 6 67 13
MONTGOMERY 52 551 60
NORTHAMPTON 10 211 9
PHILADELPHIA 41 602 34
PIKE 1 18 1
SUSQUEHANNA 3 25 1
WASHINGTON 1 1 0
WESTMORELAND 4 68 11
YORK 1 1 0
PENNSYLVANIA 297 3316 324