HARRISBURG, Pa. — COVID-19 cases and deaths in nursing and personal care homes account for a large percentage of some county's totals. Some of those facilities are struggling with COVID-19 outbreaks.
"Our contacts in our local hospital system tell us to expect 25 percent of residents who contract the virus will pass away," said Alex Metricarti, Living Branches. "So, that is hard for us."
Nineteen percent of the state's total number of COVID-19 cases from from residents in these facilities. Some counties in South Central PA are higher than the state's average, including Cumberland, Dauphin and Lancaster Counties.
When it comes to the percentage of COVID-19 deaths from residents in nursing and personal care homes, the state average is 68 percent. However, Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Lancaster Counties are higher than the state's average.
Because the residents are confined to their care facilities, State Rep. Joe Ciresi, (D) Montgomery County, is now asking Governor Wolf to not consider these cases, along with cases in prisons, when looking at reopening counties.
"We need to look at every option. This may be the wrong option but it's at least something to have a conversation on to look at reopening businesses," said Rep. Ciresi. "Not that you don't count them to our overall number, but not the number to possibly open up Pennsylvania."
However, in a senate hearing Monday, Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine did not support this idea.
"Long term living facilities are part of the county," said Dr. Levine. "The staff that are in the longterm care facilities reside in the counties. So, we include long term care living facilities, we include corrections, because the staff live in the county."