Bucks Co. Coronavirus Cases Top 3,500; Death Toll At 280

UPDATE: 8 Of 10 Bucks Coronavirus Deaths In Care Facilities: Officials

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County's coronavirus case total topped 3,500 and the death toll hit 280, according to numbers released late Tuesday. Of those infected, 920 have been confirmed to have recovered and released from isolation, officials said.

Another 22 coronavirus deaths were reported in Bucks County on Tuesday — with most of them among elderly residents of long-term care homes. That's the county's largest single-day death toll yet during the coronavirus outbreak. While reported on Tuesday, the deaths happened over several days dating back to April, according to county health officials.

"We’re going through a really bad phase right now in our nursing homes," said Dr. David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department. "It’s affecting a lot of people, and it’s affecting us personally. We are hopefully near the peak of it. We are seeing more staff returning as they recover and we are seeing more residents recovering in the nursing homes as well."

All of the death reported Tuesday had underlying health conditions and 16 of them were aged 75 or older, officials said. All but four were residents of long-term care facilities.

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Damsker said that at least 66 congregate living facilities in the county now have reported coronavirus outbreaks, up from 61 reporting them last week. That's more than three-quarters of those facilities in the county, Damsker said.

"When this wave is over, I don’t think we will have large outbreaks again because so many of the staff and residents will have immunity," said Damsker.

RELATED: Where Coronavirus Cases Are Increasing The Most In Bucks Co.

In all, 85 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in Bucks County on Tuesday. Of those, 56 were residents or employees of long-term care facilities and four were attributed to community spread, officials said.

As of Tuesday, 192 residents remained hospitalized with the virus, 24 of the in critical condition and on ventilators.

Statistics, charts and other coronavirus-related information for Bucks County can be found on the county's coronavirus data portal.

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