Centre County reports 7 new COVID-19 cases in nursing and personal care homes
A day after the third known nursing or personal care home in Centre County confirmed a new case of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, the county Wednesday reported seven new positive cases in such homes — the largest single-day increase in county nursing homes since the pandemic began.
So far, according to the state Department of Health, 10 nursing/personal care home residents have tested positive in addition to five employees over three different homes. That’s an increase from Tuesday’s numbers of four residents and four employees.
Specific nursing homes are not yet publicly named by the state DOH, as Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said earlier this week the governor’s office is still weighing privacy concerns vs. public interest. Still, three such homes have confirmed to the Centre Daily Times that they’ve experienced cases — The Oaks at Pleasant Gap, Wynwood House at State College and Centre Crest.
Two residents and two employees have tested positive at The Oaks at Pleasant Gap, the nonprofit that operates the facility said Wednesday, while Centre Crest said Wednesday afternoon one employee tested positive at the Bellefonte senior living facility.
Wynwood House owner Vincent Romanini did not return a request for comment Wednesday about the current number of cases, but said last week that a staff member at the 2350 Bernel Road facility tested positive.
Centre County now has 113 overall cases of COVID-19. That means the county has had about 23 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks, according to the state DOH, which remains well within the state’s target goal of having 50 such cases or fewer.
The increase in county nursing or personal care homes comes after Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement that 24 counties — including Centre County — will partially reopen Friday. The elderly are especially susceptible from complications from the virus, based on state and global data.
According to the state Department of Health, those 65 and older are hospitalized at a rate nearly two times that of any other age range. Those aged 65-79 are hospitalized 20% of the time they test positive, followed by those 80 and older (19%), 50-64 (10%), 30-49 (5%) and 0-29 (2%). When it comes to positive cases, those 25-49 account for 37%, followed by 65 and older (27%), 50-64 (27%) and 19-24 (6%).
Outside of the county, the statewide numbers continue to rise — but the rate of confirmed positive cases has slowed. As of noon Wednesday, there are now 51,845 total cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, meaning 888 cases are new. That marks the 27th straight day that single-day increases have been at or below 10%, after 34 consecutive days of the rate bouncing between 12% and 100%.
“As we prepare to move a number of counties from red to yellow, we need all Pennsylvanians to continue to follow the social distancing and mitigation efforts in place,” Levine said Wednesday in a written statement. “We must continue to protect our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, which includes our seniors, those with underlying health issues, our healthcare workers and our first responders.”
It is unknown how many Pennsylvanians, or Centre County residents, have recovered from the coronavirus because the state Department of Health doesn’t receive reports when patients are discharged. However, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, more than 1.2 million patients have fully recovered worldwide out of about 3.7 million infected. (By comparison, 258,160 have died worldwide as of Wednesday morning.)
Locally, every county surrounding Centre County now has had at least 21 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Totals from nearby counties are as follows:
- Blair County: 25 (0 deaths)
- Cambria County: 35 (1 death)
- Clearfield County: 21 (0 deaths)
- Clinton County: 34 (0 deaths)
- Huntingdon County: 60 (0 deaths)
- Juniata County: 86 (1 death)
- Mifflin County: 45 (0 deaths)
- Union County: 39 (1 death)
In Centre County, here’s the breakdown by ZIP code (those without cases are not listed):
- 16823 (Bellefonte, Milesburg and Pleasant Gap): 32
- 16801 (State College): 27
16827 (Boalsburg): 9
- 16803 (State College): 9
- 16870 (Port Matilda): 8
16666, 16841, 16866, 16686, 16844, 16828, 16852, 16822: 1-4 cases each (Specific numbers not available)
The statewide death toll from the virus also rose Wednesday, increasing by 94 to 3,106 total. So far, one total COVID-19 death has been reported in Centre County — an 89-year-old man, according to Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers. (That death was first reported by the state April 17 but occurred a day earlier.)
According to the state’s hospital preparedness dashboard, no COVID-19 patients (and one non-COVID-19 patient) in the county are on ventilator care. Dr. Nirmal Joshi, chief medical officer for Mount Nittany Health, told the CDT last month that the hospital can currently provide ventilator care for up to 40 patients.
Anyone who believes they came into contact with someone who might have the coronavirus is advised to monitor their health and call their primary care provider if they develop symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most well-known symptoms are cough and shortness of breath — but can also include the presence of at least two of the following: fever, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste/smell.
Symptoms can appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure, according to the CDC.
Those who believe they might be sick are encouraged to stay at home except to get medical care. Residents are also urged to call their health care provider before visiting. And those who do venture out are urged to wear masks.
“Please stay at home whenever you can, avoid unnecessary social contact and keep washing your hands,” said Dr. Brian Newcomb, director of the Mount Nittany Medical Center emergency department. “Remember the most vulnerable in our community and how much they’re relying on all of us right now. Practicing social distancing can significantly help to slow the spread of COVID-19. ... We’re all in this together.”
The state updates its county-by-county coronavirus numbers at noon every day.
-Reporter Bret Pallotto contributed to this report
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 12:36 PM.
