Update: Coroner confirms first 2 Centre County COVID-19 nursing home deaths
Less than two weeks after Centre County reported its first COVID-19 case within a nursing home, the county had its first two confirmed nursing/personal care home deaths.
Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers confirmed Saturday afternoon that two coronavirus deaths occurred Friday and Saturday, from nursing/personal care homes in the 16823 ZIP code. Both patients died at Mount Nittany Medical Center, the first Friday involving a 96-year-old male and the second Saturday being an 89-year-old female.
Neither the facilities nor the deceased were named by the coroner’s office due to concerns surrounding HIPAA Privacy Rules. But The Oaks at Pleasant Gap confirmed that both COVID-19 victims came from their facility.
“While we continue to take every precaution to keep our residents safe by following public health guidelines, we are deeply saddened by this passing,” said Andrea Schurr, the Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries mission advancement director. “Please join us in keeping the residents’ loved ones in prayers.”
Saturday’s deaths increased the county’s overall COVID-19 deaths to three, the first of which came April 16.
Since April 28, when the first nursing/personal care home case was reported within the county, nursing homes have accounted for 18 (12 residents, six employees) of the county’s 30 new coronavirus cases. Centre County now has 117 total cases, after adding no new cases Saturday.
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 county homes are listed by the DOH as having cases — and three 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.
The breakdown of cases in each county nursing home is not known.
The state Department of Health reported just one nursing-home death in Centre County on Saturday, but it’s believed Saturday’s death likely won’t be included until Sunday’s update.
The elderly are especially susceptible to complications from the virus. According to the state Department of Health, nursing home residents have accounted for roughly one in five positive coronavirus cases around the state while also accounting for nearly seven in 10 deaths.
Overall, Centre County has still had about 22 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.
Statewide, the numbers continue to rise — but the rate of confirmed positive cases has slowed. As of noon Saturday, there are now 55,316 total cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania, meaning 1,078 cases are new. That marks the 30th 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,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said Saturday 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.”
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that 13 more counties — in western Pennsylvania — will partially reopen May 15. That comes on the heels of 24 other counties, including Centre, partially reopening Friday.
It is unknown how many Pennsylvanians, or Centre County residents, have recovered from the coronavirus because the state Department of Health does not receive reports when patients are discharged. However, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, nearly 200,000 patients have fully recovered in the U.S. out of about 1.3 million infected. (By comparison, 77,280 have died in the U.S. as of Saturday morning.)
Locally, every county surrounding Centre County now has at least 24 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Totals from nearby counties are as follows:
- Blair County: 28 (0 deaths)
- Cambria County: 42 (1 death)
- Clearfield County: 24 (0 deaths)
- Clinton County: 41 (0 deaths)
- Huntingdon County: 119 (0 deaths)
- Juniata County: 93 (1 death)
- Mifflin County: 50 (0 deaths)
- Union County: 40 (1 death)
In Centre County, here’s the breakdown by ZIP code (those without cases are not listed):
- 16823 (Bellefonte, Milesburg and Pleasant Gap): 34
- 16801 (State College): 27
- 16803 (State College): 16
16827 (Boalsburg): 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 Saturday, increasing by 72 to 3,688 total. So far, three total COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Centre County — the first came from an 89-year-old man, according to Sayers, around April 16.
According to the state Department of Health, about 37% of positive cases in the state involve someone aged 25-49, followed by those 65 and older (28%) and those aged 50-64 (26%). When it comes to hospitalizations, 20% of those aged 65-79 who test positive are admitted — followed by those 80 and older (19%), 50-64 (10%), 30-49 (5%) and 0-29 (2%).
According to the state’s hospital preparedness dashboard, no patients 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.
This story was originally published May 9, 2020 at 12:53 PM.
