Fighting for her life, a teacher watched the local death toll climb | Coronavirus Newsletter

TL;DR: The first time some people heard Joel Freedman’s name was when Mayor Jim Kenney accused him of “trying to make a buck” by seeking a high rent for the site of the former Hahnemann University Hospital. City officials had considered the idea that the property could be used to treat patients during the pandemic, but when the deal fell apart Freedman became the target of vandalism and public shaming.

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🛑 Nationwide COVID-19 cases topped 330,000, with more than 9,400 deaths. Pennsylvania now has more than 11,500 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and New Jersey has more than 34,000.

🏈 Former Eagles kicker Tom Dempsey died of coronavirus at age 73.

👐 The Democratic national convention planned for August may have to go virtual, Joe Biden said.

💻 A fake post on Facebook falsely claimed a Gloucester County police officer died from COVID-19.

📈As of Sunday evening, there are more than 7,000 reported cases in the Philadelphia area. Track the spread here.

As Philadelphia officials began scrambling to expand the city’s hospital capacity to prepare for an expected surge of coronavirus patients, they spoke with Joel Freedman, owner of the building that housed the former Hahnemann University Hospital.

The California businessman said his offer to rent the property for almost $1 million a month was “reasonable and heartfelt," noting it was lower than rents for comparable properties. Mayor Kenney accused him of “jacking up” the price.

To his detractors, the incident made Freedman the villain of the coronavirus crisis, and sparked a widespread public shaming campaign. His Philadelphia house has been egged and graffitied with phrases like Joel Kills. Meanwhile, city and state officials have said Hahnemann — which has been gutted and without beds for months — would have needed extensive work just to be used as quarantine space.

Lying in a hospital bed, struggling to breathe, Maureen Boland read about herself on the internet: “Anesthesiologist, Teacher Among New Confirmed Covid-19 Cases in PA.” The Abington High School teacher, 52 and healthy aside from a history of asthma, was hospitalized last month after contracting COVID-19 and narrowly escaped being put on a ventilator. “CNN was streaming into my room 24/7 and I watched the death numbers rise every day,” she wrote in her harrowing account. Now on the mend, she said the experience left her traumatized and fearful about the fate of other victims of the disease, particularly those without access to the support and medical care she had.

🌆 South Philadelphia’s homeless population has tripled in a year, and advocates say the area doesn’t have the resources to help them.

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⛪ The Philadelphia region celebrated Palm Sunday with livestreamed services.

Now that state and federal officials are recommending that everyone wear cloth masks outdoors, here’s a step-by-step guide for making your own. All it takes is some fabric, and it’s okay if you don’t have a needle and thread.

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.

Eastern Airlines, a little-known, Wayne-based company with an old name and old jets, has rescued more than 8,000 stranded Americans in Central and South America in recent weeks. By Tuesday, it will have flown three more rescue missions.

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