By Walter F. Roche Jr.
The number of Covid-19 deaths at a single Pennsylvania nursing home has topped 100 for the first time, according to data from the state Health Department.
In a report posted this week the state agency listed 104 Coronavirus deaths at the 160-bed Valley View Haven in Belleville.
The state data shows that after a slowdown in the summer the deaths in Pennsylvania nursing homes has surged again.
That trend mirrors the findings of a federal study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Review.
That study found that the number of Covid-19 cases in nursing homes nationwide increased in June and July and then subsided until November when cases surged ahead.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study theorized that the increase in nursing home cases likely mirrored community Covid-19 rates.
The authors recommend that nursing home operators monitor community rates and act to "minimize high risk exposure within the facility.
The study noted that nursing home residents are at "higher risk than the general population for morbidity and mortality."
The federal study was based on data from 15,342 of the 15,404 nursing homes in the country. The data covered the 572,135 cases reported from May 25 to Nov. 22.
The facilities reported that 296,762 residents were infected with the virus and 275,373 staffers were diagnosed with Covid-19.
"Nursing homes are high risk congregate settings that require a comprehensive infection prevention and control strategy," the report concludes.
Other Pennsylvania nursing homes with 30 or more Covid-19 deaths include Fair Acres Geriatric in Lima -97, Neshaminy Manor in Warrington -85, Messiah Lifeways in Mechanicsburg -49, Old Orchard Healthcare in Easton -34, Centre Crest in Bellefonte -70, Luther Acres in Litiz -32, Pleasant Acres Rehabilitation and Nursing in York -36 and Slate Belt Health in Bangor -31.
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