COLUMBIA COUNTY, Pa. — Rural communities in Pennsylvania have, for the most part, been spared large Numbers of coronavirus cases, but Columbia county seems to defy that pattern, with 239 confirmed cases in total.
We asked the coroner here why that might be.
"I honestly don't know," said Columbia County coroner Jeremy Reese. "It's unique. There's been more positive cases than negative cases in Columbia County, and I've asked some people around about why that is, and I don't think we've gotten a clear answer."
It's not surprising then, that nursing homes in the county have seen higher numbers too.
According to the state's numbers, about 30 percent of confirmed cases in Columbia County are in two nursing homes: Berwick Retirement Village and The Gardens at Orangeville.
While the coroner doesn't know exactly why Columbia County has a higher number of cases than other rural counties, he does have some ideas as to why nursing homes here have been hit harder.
"It's certainly noticeable. Columbia County has a lot of nursing homes per capita, and they're larger facilities, both of these facilities are larger facilities. Obviously, the Berwick Retirement Village sits right on the line with Luzerne County, where there's been a high number of cases seen."
Reese says the spread of illness in long-term care facilities is nothing new. He's seen it in the past once a virus gets in the building, it spreads quickly and easily.
"I think these staff in these nursing homes are doing the very best they could to protect it from getting in their facilities, and they've done the best that they can to prevent it from spreading. But unfortunately, I think they're a little bit behind the 8-ball per se. Once it's in and they don't realize it, until they realize that there is a case, it's almost already too late."
The Department of Health reports more than half of the state's total deaths from COVID-19 are in nursing homes and personal care facilities.