A Carroll County, Maryland doctor is being hailed as a local hero as new data continues to reveal the scale of the coronavirus catastrophe at a nursing home in Mount Airy.
Dr. Daniel Aukerman stepped into the dangerous situation when no one else would, according to Congressman Jamie Raskin who interviewed Aukerman on the Democratic representative's Facebook page.
Dr. Aukerman is a family practice doctor in Westminster Maryland who answered the desperate call for help at the Pleasant View Nursing home after local health authorities said a previous medical director stopped reporting to the site in the midst of crisis.
"At first I was quite scared about going," Aukerman told the congressman. "If there’s believable human suffering and you're able to do something to relieve that suffering, then as a doctor or a health care provider it’s your duty to do something about it."
The latest statistics reveal the gravity of the situation Aukerman courageously faced down.
There have been 24 deaths from coronavirus at the nursing home, according to the Carroll County Health Department. Eighty-one of the 95 residents were infected along with 39 staff members.
The data reveals Carroll County has a stunning 11% death rate from COVID-19, due to the nursing home catastrophe. Most other locations are closer to 3%.
According to ZIPCode maps of coronavirus cases released by the Maryland Department of Health, the Mount Airy hotspot is the second-highest concentration of cases per capita in the state
"It's skewed because we have the facility issue," Maggie Kunz of the Carroll County Health Department said.
Among those who have died from the virus are former D.C. firefighter Gary Holmberg.
Currently battling for his life is 70-year-old Paul Mantheiy, who has been moved to a Baltimore County hospital.
"His condition is dire, that’s how they put it," Mantheiy's daughter-in-law Ashleigh said. "The hardest part for him and my kids is that we won’t be there when it is over. This has rocked our family hard."
Pleasant View families are calling for investigations.
Dr. Aukerman is calling on all Maryland residents to continue following "stay at home" orders to prevent future tragedies.