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In rural Pa., largely untouched by COVID-19 in the spring, deaths are now surging: ‘It’s just scary’

As coronavirus cases ravaged urban hubs like Philadelphia in the spring, rural Pennsylvania was left largely unaffected. Now, they’re seeing levels higher than the city at its peak.

Funeral director Geoff Burke (rear) and employee Sean Wynn wheel an empty stretcher back to their van after disinfecting it at Heller-Hoenstine Funeral Home in Lewistown. Burke is busier than ever as COVID-19 deaths surge across rural Pennsylvania.
Funeral director Geoff Burke (rear) and employee Sean Wynn wheel an empty stretcher back to their van after disinfecting it at Heller-Hoenstine Funeral Home in Lewistown. Burke is busier than ever as COVID-19 deaths surge across rural Pennsylvania.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer