‘It’s a sinking ship’: COVID-19 deaths triple at state-run vets nursing home in Chester County | Coronavirus Newsletter

TL;DR: Workers at a South Philly nursing home have unionized, claiming they’re not getting the protection they need. At another nursing home in Chester County, veterans are dying at alarming rates and state officials have little to say about it. As unemployment claims rise exponentially in Pennsylvania, advocacy groups that help the needy are treading water.

— Vinny Vella (@Vellastrations, health@inquirer.com)

🍖 Across the country, federal meat inspectors say that they are terrified about the pandemic and that the agency is failing to take even basic steps to protect them, such as providing masks and other PPE.

🔒The number of ICE immigration detainees who tested positive for the coronavirus has surged to 317, up nearly 10-fold from the 32 cases reported less than three weeks ago, statistics show.

👩‍⚕️ Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary, has been dealing with another issue, aside from the coronavirus: Personal attacks. People close to Levine say she’s been able to shake it off in the interest of keeping the state healthy.

👐 A majority of the 130 unionized workers at the St. Monica Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare, a nursing home in South Philadelphia hit hard by the coronavirus, voted Friday afternoon to authorize a strike.

🏥 Doctors at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals have made a startling discovery: A growing number of patients in the 30s and 40s are dying from strokes while infected with COVID-19.

📈As of Saturday evening, there have been more than 25,000 of reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.

Nearly 30 seniors have died from COVID-19 at the Southeastern Veterans’ Center since the beginning of April, according to the Chester County coroner. Staff members and residents’ families say the facility has been slow to provide updates about the pandemic’s effects, if at all. Meanwhile, state officials have refused to answer questions about the spread of the virus, or even publicly reveal details about the number of cases inside.

Advocacy groups for the needy in Philadelphia say that calls for assistance have begun to steadily increase as more residents face unemployment amid the pandemic. One such organization, BenePhilly, normally answers about 80 calls a week but answered 323 calls — a four-fold increase — during one week in early April. The Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger said it processed better than 25% more applications in the last month than its average in the past year.

Local chefs are spending their downtime in their home kitchens, whipping up meals for a much smaller audience, literally. In Grace Dickinson’s latest dispatch, she passes along their tips on how parents can include kids in creating dishes everyone can enjoy. The key, according to Nick Kennedy of powerhouse Philly eateries Suraya and Condesa, is to choose simple items such as pizza.

“I try to avoid recipes with super-long ingredient lists, and you want the steps to be manageable,” says Kennedy.

For a full sampling of recipes from Kennedy and other chefs from restaurants including Talula’s Garden and Royal Boucherie, read Grace’s story.

☕ Just because your neighborhood coffee shop is closed doesn’t mean you have to live latte-free. You might be surprised at what you can whip up yourself.

👓 Masks and face-coverings are wreaking havoc on glasses-wearers. For a quick fix, get one that’s tighter or apply some tape.

💒 Did the virus silence your wedding bells? Take a page out of this Delco couple’s book and consider livestreaming a front-porch, socially distant ceremony.

Have a social distancing tip or question to share? Let us know at health@inquirer.com and your input might be featured in a future edition of this newsletter.

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