PA Vet Covid Deaths Explode

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Deaths from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania's nursing homes for veterans have jumped yet again with some 49 victims either diagnosed or presumed to have died from Covoid-19.
The new total from the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shows deaths have continued to multiply since they were first reported at nine a month ago.
Though the state report does not state at which facility the deaths occurred, most if not all were at the Southeastern Veterans Center in Chester County. The state operates five other veterans homes stretching from Scranton to Pittsburgh.
In a posting on its web site the agency appeared to acknowledge that the Chester County was a hotspot.
"The SEVC is located in Spring City, Chester County. Additionally, the majority of the SEVC staff live in a three-county area: Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties. These three counties are collectively considered to be a hotspot area given that they account for 19% of all COVID-19 cases and 23% of COVID-19 deaths throughout the commonwealth. This hotspot also accounts for 28% of all long-term care resident deaths throughout Pennsylvania," the posting states.
According to its latest update 35 of the 49 deaths were confirmed Covid-19 cases while 14 were listed as "probable."
The agency also reported that a total of 107 patients have tested positive for the virus while 51 staff have tested positive but 47 have returned to work.