The average age of those who have died from the coronavirus in Pennsylvania is 80, and the majority of deaths took place in nursing homes.
Data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Health this week show that over two-thirds, or 68%, of the 4,505 who have died from the virus as of Tuesday morning were nursing home residents, and the average age of those who have died is 80, the Philadelphia Enquirer reported.
Pennsylvania officials have been criticized for coronavirus policies involving the elderly, specifically the commonwealth’s Democratic governor, Tom Wolf, who, similar to Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, mandated that nursing homes admit individuals who tested positive for the virus, which yielded disastrous results.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine has also been criticized for the decision to move her 95-year-old mother out of “a personal care home” but also told nursing homes across the state they must accept coronavirus patients.
Questions have also been raised about the accuracy of the coronavirus data coming from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and, according to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the percentage of virus deaths made up by nursing home residents could be as high as 71%.
Other states across the country have accumulated similar data when it comes to the rate that the elderly are dying from the coronavirus.
In Texas, roughly 75% of coronavirus deaths are individuals who are 65 years or older, in New York, the vast majority of deaths are those 75 years of age or older. In Florida, over 80% of deaths are people over age 65.
