So far, requests from Delaware County officials to separate nursing home COVID-19 statistics from the rest of the community have gained no traction at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, writes Maria Panaritis for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The state’s health secretary, Rachel Levine, argues that staff in long-term care facilities come and go into the community so statistics can’t be separated.
In Philadelphia’s four counties, 4,000 long-term and personal care facility residents have contracted COVID-19. More than 900 have died.
If nursing home statistics stay high, even if the number of cases go down in the general population, state restrictions like business closures and stay-at-home orders will remain.
“We think it makes sense to look at our population as two distinct segments,” Delaware County Council President Brian Zidek said.
State Sen. Tim Kearney of Swarthmore hopes the Wolf Administration might become more flexible once officials learn about what works to contain the virus and what doesn’t.
“I’m still hopeful there’s a middle ground, where as we learn more we can start to make adjustments in the criteria,” Kearney said. “The governor’s got a very difficult job.”
Read more about COVID-19 in Delaware County nursing homes here.
