GRIM MILESTONE
MORE THAN 100 DELCO RESIDENTS NOW LOST TO PANDEMIC
As the coronavirus curve continues to climb, Delaware County has reached the 100-mark in losses in life to the global pandemic since it first arrived March 6.
According to the Chester County Health Department, 100 of the 2,545 Delaware County residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have died. As Delaware County doesn’t have its own health department, it entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Chester County Health Department for that entity to provide all coronavirus services to Delco residents.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Delaware County has lost 118 of 2,654 residents who tested positive for the virus. The state agency recently began including confirmed and probable cases as part of its count. Confirmed are individuals who tested positive for coronavirus. Probable are those who showed symptoms and had contact or had some other link to a positive COVID case but testing had not been done.
Delaware County Council Chairman Brian Zidek spoke to the gravity of the situation and the comprehensive, all-hands-ondeck efforts being poured into keeping this rapidly spreading global pandemic at bay as much as possible.
“We are saddened by every single one of the 100 who died,” he said. “The Chester County Health Department and our municipal leaders and our state legislators are doing everything they can collectively to keep those numbers contained as much as possible.”
As part of that, Delaware County officials themselves have been trying to amplify the need for behavioral modifications to contain the disease as much as possible from staying at home for all but life-sustaining activities to wearing a mask outside to covering coughs and sneezes with an elbow to cleaning surfaces often to washing hands frequently with soap and water for at least
20 seconds.
Both state and local statistics show a majority of the coronavirus-related deaths in Delaware County occurred in longterm care facilities. Both the state Health Department and the Chester County Health Department reported that 71 of the 100 deaths in Delaware County occurred in
39 long-term facilities or personal care homes. Of those deaths, only two people were less than
60-years-old.
State officials said they are strongly considering publicly releasing the names of nursing homes with cases of COVID-19 and looking how to do that over the next couple of days.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine explained that it appears there was an increase in the number of COVID deaths over the weekend, but not because there was a spike in fatalities but because the department
has worked to reconcile several different reporting systems to get the most accurate picture possible. As a result, probable and confirmed deaths are now being counted.
“Confirmed deaths are those Pennsylvanians who have died and for whom we have a positive test result for COVID-19,” Levine explained. “Probable deaths are those Pennsylvanians who have died and their death certificate lists COVID-19 as a cause or a contributing cause of death but who did not have a positive test result for COVID-19.”
She addressed the seeming spike in death numbers.
“It’s important to remember that this increase did not happen overnight but it is the culmination of our efforts to continue to bring to the public the most accurate data possible,” Levine said. “Remember, we are basing decisions on the best way to protect public health not on a single day’s increase or change but over trends over time.”
She said these deaths did not occur in 24 hours.
“This is a collection of reports over the last number of weeks,” Levine explained, adding information was being culled from the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System, a way in which hospitals, health systems and nursing homes report into the state Health Department; the state Vital Records division and information that is being received from coroners. “We’re working to reconcile all of that data and then present it to you.”
As a result, the state has added trend animations to the data section of their website, as seen at https:// www.health.pa.gov/topics/ disease/coronavirus/Pages/ Data-Animations.aspx.
“These animations will help you see how the disease has progressed in Pennsylvania,” Levine said. They also show the progressions by region and county, with the Southeast region and Delaware County showing a severe increase followed by a leveling off near that top level.
The secretary also spoke to issues appearing in the most populated parts of the state.
“There are hospitals, which are more challenged in the Philadelphia and the Southeast area,” she said, adding that the alternative care site at Temple University had been opened to care for COVID patients who convalesce from the virus and to decompress the hospital. “So, throughout the state, we are good on ICU bed and we’re watching the Southeast really closely.”
As of Tuesday, the state was showing that in Delaware County, 42 adult ICU beds are available, 305 medical/surgical beds are available, 41 airborne isolation room beds and 47 ventilators are available. Of the ventilators being used, 64 are for COVID-19 patients and 103 are for non-coronavirus patients. There are no pediatric ICU beds available in Delaware County.