Majority Of Delco Coronavirus Death Are Long Term Care Residents

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA — Two of every three deaths from COVID-19 in Delaware County have been long-term care facility residents, according to the Chester County Health Department.

As the United States marked 400,000 deaths this week, Delaware County is nearing 1,100 deaths.

To bring clarity in what COVID-19 metrics mean, specifically concerning how deaths in the county break down, Patch found two-thirds of Delaware County deaths from coronavirus are taking place in long-term care facilities, according to health department reports. The Chester County Health Department oversees the pandemic response for both Chester and Delaware counties, so both are included here.

The two-thirds figure has been consistent across the pandemic. In mid-May, across the state, 68 percent of deaths from COVID-19 had been in nursing homes, Patch reported then. Nursing homes in the Philadelphia region became early hotspots as the coronavirus spread in spring.

In Delaware County, 1,071 have died as of Wednesday, according to the Chester County Health Department's reports. Of those deaths, 67 percent were in long-term care facilities — 716 deaths.

The bulk of those long-term care deaths in both counties are people over 80. In Delaware County, 486 of 716 long-term care deaths were of those over 80. That's 65 percent.

The winter surge of the pandemic is not yet abating. Two-thirds of U.S. states this week have rising COVID-19 death counts, the Associated Press reported. Government sources, including the World Health Organization, reported on Jan. 20 that 403,576 have died in the U.S.

These numbers are not just numbers, of course. They mean that many families have seen the loss of grandparents and great-grandparents, more than would have if not for the ongoing pandemic. The health safety requirements of the pandemic also mean the families may have endured those losses without the usual intimate good-byes. The hugs among family and friends that are a part of healthy grieving are also lessened if not forbidden.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health offers Grief and Loss resources on its COVID-19 website.

Reporting by Marlene Lang