Bucks Co. First Responder Dies Of Coronavirus

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Three coronavirus deaths were reported in Bucks County Saturday, including the death of a first responder in his 50s. The three victims were men, including two in their early 50s and one in his 70s, health officials said.

One of the victims has been identified as an assistant fire chief for the Tullytown Fire Company. Rick Johnson, 50, was a longtime volunteer firefighter and former chief of the company. Johnson's death was the first coronavirus-related fatality among Bucks County first responders, officials confirmed.

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The Tullytown Fire Company paid tribute to Johnson on Facebook, saying: “He was truly a great friend to everyone and most of all family to most of us.”

All three of the men who died Saturday had underlying health conditions, said David Damsker, director of the Bucks County Health Department.

Three officers and one prisoner at the Bucks County Correctional Facility have also tested positive for COVID-19 in the past two days, Damsker said.

Damsker said the three prison officers were in isolation at their homes with mild symptoms. The prisoner who tested positive was a recent admission who never was placed among the general population, Damsker added. "He had arrived with mild symptoms and was immediately isolated," according to information from the county.

“It’s not surprising that we are having cases among workers at healthcare facilities and close-quarters facilities like prisons,” Damsker said. “We expected that, since they are among the people who have to leave their homes each day to do this essential work. We hope that it will begin to decrease with the universal masking recommendations that have been made by the governor."

The county recorded 64 new cases on Saturday, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to 580. Of those, 25 are hospitalized; 11 of them in critical condition and on ventilators. A map of the case locations can be found here.

Pennsylvania has reported a total of 10,017 coronavirus cases as of Saturday. There have been 136 deaths in Pennsylvania as of Saturday.

The Bucks County Commissioners have ordered flags lowered to half-staff outside county offices indefinitely in tribute to all of the county’s coronavirus victims.

>>>Full coverage of coronavirus in Pennsylvania

This article originally appeared on the Doylestown Patch