Philly, Delco report first deaths from coronavirus

COVID-19 claims lives of two men and a woman, officials say

Philadelphia and Delaware County each recorded their first deaths from coronavirus on March 25, 2020. In Philadelphia, the victim was a man in his fifties with underlying conditions. In Delaware County, both victims were seniors, an 85-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman.
HANNAH A BULLOCK; AZAIBI TAMIN/CDC

Philadelphia reported its first death from coronavirus on Wednesday, while two people in Delaware County also have died from COVID-19, marking the first fatalities in both counties since the start of the pandemic, officials announced. 

In Philadelphia, the victim was a man in his fifties with an underlying condition, said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. No additional details about the man were provided. 

In Delaware County, the first death was an 85-year-old man undergoing treatment at a local hospital, according to the Chester County Health Department, which is tracking cases in Delaware County. The municipality in which the man lived is not being provided, out of privacy for the family.

The second death was was an 86-year-old woman who was a resident of the Rosewood Garden Rehab and Nursing Center in Broomall. She was receiving treatment at a hospital in Montgomery County at the time of her death.

"Delaware County Council extends its deepest condolences to their families," officials said in a statement. "As we as a community combat this pandemic together, this loss affects all of us and we are deeply saddened by the news."

Philadelphia had 342 cases of coronavirus as of Wednesday afternoon. Delaware County had confirmed 101 cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday morning. Pennsylvania's total reached 1,127 cases on Wednesday, with state officials expecting a surge to continue in next few weeks

Chester County is providing health services to Delco, which does not have a health department

Gov. Tom Wolf has expanded the state's stay-at-home order to 10 counties, adding Lehigh and Northampton counties on Wednesday.