Nursing homes continue to be hit hard by deaths

HARRISBURG » Confirmed coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania now exceed 83,000, while there are 54 new reports of coronavirus-related deaths, many if not all of them who were residents of nursing homes or personal care homes, the state Department of Health said Wednesday.

The department reported 495 new infections. The 54 new deaths brings the statewide total to 6,515.

The department’s death toll for nursing homes or personal care homes rose by 57 on Wednesday as the agency reconciles information it has gathered from various sources in recent days, it said.

The total death toll in those facilities is now 4,467, or nearly 70% of Pennsylvania’s total deaths attributed to the coronavirus outbreak.

The number of new infections reported over the last week, 3,373, is virtually the same as the number for the previous seven-day period, 3,382. Both of those figures are slightly higher than the seven-day period before that, through June 9, when the state reported 3,031 new infections.

However, the percentage of positive tests has steadily dropped, from 6% for the seven days ending June 9 to 4.5% over the last seven days.

Of those Pennsylvania residents infected since early March, 77% have recovered, the department said.

The number of infections is thought to be far higher than the state’s confirmed case count because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

Museum cutbacks

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, closed since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, is seeking to eliminate about 100 positions, or 20% of its workforce.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that museum employees were told during a teleconference meeting Wednesday that the reductions are to be accomplished through furloughs, voluntary departures and possibly layoffs.

The furloughs are to begin July 6 although some furloughed employees are to be recalled as operations ramp up. In addition, more than 50 vacant positions won’t be filled.

Museum officials say they hope to begin reopening later in the summer with visits in the 40% to 50% range initially.