Delaware County Asking State To Separate Number Of COVID-19 Cases In Nursing Homes From Rest Of Community

Alexandria Hoff reports.

NOT SEE AN EXPLOSION OF NEWCASES.Reporter: DR. LEVINEMAINTAINED THAT PENNSYLVANIA'SNEW PLAN WILL BE ROLLED OUTSLOWLY.DELAWARE COUNTY IS EAGER TOGET BACK TO NORMAL BUT LAWMAKERSARE CONCERNED THAT THE NUMBERSDON'T ADD UP.ALEXANDRIA HOFF EXPLAINS.Reporter: THE GREATERPHILADELPHIA AREA IS NOTINCLUDED IN THE COUNTIES THATWILL BEGIN THE PROCESS OFREOPENING THIS WEEK.ONE RIN IS THAT THE REGION ISFAR FROM MEETING THIS METRIC SETBY THE GOVERNOR.AN AVERAGE OF 50 OR FEWER NEWCOVID-19 CASES PER 100,000PERSON POPULATION OVER A 14-DAYPERIOD.THIS WOULD TRANSLATE TOROUGHLY AN AVERAGE OF 20 NEWReporter: A FAR CRY FROMDELAWARE COUNTY'S REPORTEDAVERAGE OF 139 CASES PER DAYTHIS PAST WEEK.THE TRUTH IS WE ARE NOT YETCLOSE TO THE GOVERNOR'S TARGETFOR REOPENING IN SOUTHEASTERNPENNSYLVANIA.Reporter: THE SAME GOES FORNEIGHBORING COUNTIES AND NOWDELAWARE AND BUCKS ARE AMONGTHOSE ASKING THE COMMONWEALTH TOSEPARATE COVID CASES FOUNDWITHIN NURSING HOMES TO CASESFOUND WITHIN THE REST OF THECOMMUNITY.ROUGHLY 70% OF THE DEATHSFROM COVID-19 IN DELAWARE COUNTYAND 20% OF POSITIVE TESTS HAVEOCCURRED AMONG OUR NURSING HOMEPOPULATION.IT IS CORRECT THAT THEMAJORITY OF DEATHS HAVE BEEN INSENIORS.Reporter: WHILE COUNTIES FEELTHAT NURSING HOME NUMBERS MAYSKEW OVERALL AVERAGES, THAT DATAWILL NOT BE SEPARATED.THE STAFF GO BACK AND FORTH.SO IT REALLY IS AN EXAMPLE OFHOW WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.Reporter: WITH THAT, DELAWARECOUNTY IS ASKING THE GOVERNOR'SOFFICE FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.NAMELY AN INCREASE IN DIAGNOSTICTESTING.SECRETARY LEVINE NOTED THATSIMILAR REQUESTS ARE CURRENTLYBEING DISCUSSED.LEVINE ALSO SAID THIS WEEK ADECISION WILL BE MADE WHETHER