Here’s How Coronavirus Is Affecting North Whitehall Nursing Homes

NORTH WHITEHALL, PA — The coronavirus pandemic has devastated nursing homes across the U.S., with thousands of cases and deaths among residents reported weekly. However, nursing home resident cases in recent weeks have been on the decline.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been tracking the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in nursing homes, including some in North Whitehall.

CMS reported around 15,000 nursing home resident COVID-19 cases nationwide during the week of Jan. 18-24. Its data shows recorded cases are down more than 50 percent since the peak in mid-December.

There have been more than 611,000 coronavirus cases among nursing home residents and 121,000 deaths since the pandemic began, according to CMS. More than a quarter of all U.S. deaths are among nursing home residents.

Nursing home staff members have also been heavily affected by the pandemic, with 525,000 recorded staff cases and nearly 1,500 deaths.

The federal government has prioritized long-term care residents and staff for the coronavirus vaccine in an effort to stem cases and deaths. More than 3.1 million residents and staff in long-term care facilities have been vaccinated as of Feb. 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Some notes on the CMS data: CMS has authority over nursing homes but not over other senior living facilities such as assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Only nursing homes that pass the agency's data quality check are included. CMS also notes that its data could differ from state reports, owing to different counting methods, and in some cases it omits information on cases and deaths before May 17, when reporting became mandatory.

Below are the figures for nursing homes in the North Whitehall area.

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Editor's note: This list was automatically generated using data compiled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The local nursing homes included in the list are limited to those included in the government data. Please report any errors or other feedback to content@patch.com.

LUTHER CREST NURSING FACILITY
800 HAUSMAN ROAD, ALLENTOWN

Residents

• Week of Jan. 18-24: There were 6 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1 related death among 56 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 22 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 6 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 18-24: This nursing home reported 2 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: There have been 30 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

MANORCARE HEALTH SERVICES-WEST ALLEN
535 NORTH 17TH STREET, ALLENTOWN

Residents

• Week of Jan. 18-24: There were 0 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1 related death among 104 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 96 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 29 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 18-24: This nursing home reported 2 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: There have been 49 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

FELLOWSHIP MANOR
3,000 FELLOWSHIP DRIVE, WHITEHALL

Residents

• Week of Jan. 18-24: There were 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2 related deaths among 113 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 152 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 32 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 18-24: This nursing home reported 8 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: There have been 86 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

PHOEBE ALLENTOWN HEALTH CARE CENTER
1,925 TURNER STREET, ALLENTOWN

Residents

• Week of Jan. 18-24: There was 1 confirmed COVID-19 case and 7 related deaths among 202 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 80 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 37 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 18-24: This nursing home reported 6 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: There have been 132 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.

CEDARBROOK SENIOR CARE AND REHABILITATION
350 S. CEDARBROOK ROAD, ALLENTOWN

Residents

• Week of Jan. 18-24: There were 9 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 0 related deaths among 502 total residents at this nursing home during the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 354 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 105 related deaths reported among nursing home residents.

Staff members

• Week of Jan. 18-24: This nursing home reported 20 confirmed COVID-19 cases among its staff members in the week ending Jan. 24.
• Overall: There have been 260 confirmed cases and 0 deaths due to COVID-19 reported among staff members since the pandemic began.