Chester County Sees 800th Death From COVID-19 As Masks Diminish

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — On the same day that Pennsylvania's Department of Health announced the commonwealth's mask order would be lifted on June 28, Chester County marked its 800th death from COVID-19 since the pandemic began early in 2020.

Chester County has had 37,355 documented COVID-19 cases, based on positive test counts, the county health department reported today. Today, the state DOH reported 812 deaths from the disease caused by the coronavirus.

According to a May 25 Pennsylvania Department of Health report, in Chester County 485 COVID-19 deaths were "associated with nursing homes and personal care homes."

The peak in daily deaths here came on Dec. 22, 2020, when 13 were counted dead in one day. There was a cluster of days in late April and May of 2020 when 10 or 11 died in a single day, according to the Chester County Health Department COVID-19 reporting dashboard. And while deaths from COVID-19 slowed steadily from late January 2021 forward, the days through the spring when no one died were few. East Goshen Township saw the most deaths among Chesco municipalities, with 60 dying from COVID-19 there. Willistown Township reported 57 deaths and East Vincent Township had 40.

No COVID-19 deaths were reported in Atglen Borough, nor were there any deaths in East Nantmeal, London Britain, West Marlborough, or Newlin townships.

Chesco Sees Lower Death Rate Than Neighbors

Chester County fared better than its neighbors, who saw not just higher numbers of deaths, but higher rates per their populations. Chester County's 812 deaths represent 154.7 deaths per 100,000 residents. In Delaware County, 1,389 died and its death rate was 245.1 per 100,000 residents. In Montgomery County, 1,716 have died, a number representing 206.5 deaths per 100,000 residents. Lancaster County has had 1,150 deaths which represent 210.7 deaths per 100,00o residents there.

Across Pennsylvania, 27,163 have died of COVID-19, the DOH reported today.

Vaccination Rate Here Exceeds State Percentage

The outlook is positive as COVID-19 deaths and cases diminish and vaccinations have been well received in Chester County. The county health department reports 74 percent of residents 12 or older are either partially or fully vaccinated. For those over 18 in the county, 43 percent are fully vaccinated, the Chester County Health Department reported late last week. The department on May 21 estimated that by July 1, Chester County will have reached the 70 percent fully vaccinated benchmark for everyone over 18.

COVID-19 metrics have improved enough statewide that PA Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam today announced that the commonwealth’s mask order will be lifted by June 28.

"After reviewing the vaccination data for people 18 and over and discussing it with the COVID-19 Vaccine Legislative Task Force, we have determined that the commonwealth’s mask order can be lifted on June 28 or when 70 percent of adults get their second dose, whichever comes first," Beam said. "Pennsylvanians are realizing that they have the power to stop COVID-19 and they are stepping up to get vaccinated."

Beam announced Thursday that the state had hit a milestone with 70 percent of adults receiving at least one dose of vaccine. "That’s a strong indicator that we are on track to get at least that many getting both doses by the end of June."

Metrics Improving In Chesco, Statewide

The state DOH updates its COVID-19 metrics on Fridays, so the last accounting was May 20, when Chester County's positivity test rate had dropped to 2.9 percent, down almost a full percentage point in one week's time.

The incidence rate for COVID-19 in the county fell to 34.7 per 100,000 residents by May 20, down from 47.2 per 100,000 in the week ending May 13.

In the seven days from May 13 to May 20, Chester County saw 182 new COVID-19 cases, a drop from 248 new cases seen in the previous seven-day period.

Statewide to date, 52.7 percent of the population who are over 18 is fully vaccinated, the state DOH reported. According to the CDC, 97.7 percent of Pennsylvanians over 65 have received at least one dose of vaccine.

To find a COVID-19 walk-in clinic near you, or to make an appointment for a vaccine, go here.

While this report delivers information in numbers, Patch acknowledges with sympathy that every death counted represents a life and a person whose loss is felt in our communities.

Make sure you know what's happening in your town. Sign up to get Patch emails and don't miss any local news: https://patch.com/subscribe.