54 PA Veterans Died from Covid-19

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Some 54 veterans living in state run nursing homes in Pennsylvania have died with confirmed or probable diagnoses of the coronavirus, according to officials of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
Twelve of the deaths were at the Delaware Valley Veterans Center in Philadelphia while 42 died at the Southeastern Veterans Center in Spring City, in Philadelphia's suburbs.
Data provided by the Pennsylvania Health Department shows that an additional eight veterans died in personal care rooms at the Spring City facility. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said those deaths were already included in the agency count.
The disclosure comes as veteran deaths have been reported in other states providing nursing home care to veterans. In a highly critical report issued Wednesday, officials of a Massachusetts veterans home in Holyoke were charged with substantial errors in the treatment of veterans infected with Covid-19.
Seventy-five patients at the facility died from the coronavirus.
At the Spring City, PA facility the administrator was recently placed on leave. Another longtime administrator was brought in as a temporary replacement.
According to the state agency 28 of the Southeastern deaths were confirmed cases of coronavirus while 14 were classified as probable coronavirus. A total of 101 residents tested positive for the virus.
At the Philadelphia facility 12 deaths were confirmed as coronavirus. Four were classified as probable. A total of 31 patients tested positive for coronavirus.
State run nursing homes for veterans in several other states including New Jersey and Alabama have also reported multiple coronavirus deaths over the past two months.