More coronavirus cases found at Westmoreland Manor; county calls in National Guard to help
As coronavirus cases at Westmoreland Manor continue to rise, county commissioners on Thursday called in the Pennsylvania National Guard to take over testing of residents and staff at the county-owned nursing home.
County officials said Thursday another 14 residents and four employees tested positive for the virus.
That brings the number of infected residents to 47, meaning nearly 13% of the facility’s population have tested positive in the past week. The number of employees who have tested positive in the current outbreak stands at 12.
“This is a county-run nursing home, so we are taking this very seriously, and we are being very proactive,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes.
The National Guard will conduct daily testing to allow the nursing staff to focus on residents’ care. Guard members are expected to arrive early next week.
County officials said no residents have become seriously ill. Three residents have shown mild symptoms, and as many as 10 employees have experienced covid-19 symptoms. No one has been hospitalized because of coronavirus symptoms, commissioners said.
“This is our biggest nightmare since March,” Commissioner Gina Cerilli said. “This is something we have been dreading. We know it was inevitable that we eventually may see cases. But from March until this weekend, we had zero resident (cases).”
Commissioners said the first sign of the outbreak came Sept. 19, when a Manor employee tested positive following implementation of a baseline testing program required under a new federal mandate.
The 408-bed Manor had no reported cases of coronavirus among residents before this week. Four employees, including two administrators, tested positive prior to the current outbreak.
Commissioner Doug Chew said infected residents have been moved to one unit at the Manor and the county is following state recommendations about how to deal with the outbreak.
According to statistics reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the outbreak at the Manor is the second largest to date at nursing homes in Westmoreland County.
Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, a 103-bed facility in Lower Burrell, had 77 residents test positive and 11 who died from covid-19. The Grove, a 107-bed nursing home in Latrobe, reported 35 cases among residents and eight deaths, according to the state.
State totals for the Manor, which is the largest nursing home the county, were last updated Wednesday. Those numbers showed 26 cases and no deaths.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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