New covid-19 cases reported at Hempfield Area High School

New covid-19 cases were reported at Hempfield Area High School Wednesday afternoon.

The additional cases brings the school’s total to eight among students for the period between Nov. 4 and Wednesday, according to a covid-19 tracker posted on the district’s website. That’s an increase from five students at the high school during the period of Nov. 2 and Monday.

“We are monitoring closely,” Superintendent Tammy Wolicki said. “The challenge that we are dealing with is the number of staff members who are quarantined for having had close contact with someone who tested positive. It is a challenge to have substitute coverage for these individuals.”

According to the tracker, no staffers at the high school have currently tested positive for covid-19.

Across district schools, there are a total of 14 cases, updated numbers show.

In addition to the high school cases, there is one student at Fort Allen Elementary School, one staffer at Maxwell Elementary School, one student and one staffer at West Hempfield Elementary School, one staffer at Harrold Middle School and one case among administrators, bus drivers, food service workers and maintenance workers.

Several presumptive cases were also reported in the district including a student at Stanwood Elementary School, three students at the high school, one student at Harrold and two students at West Hempfield Middle School.

West Point Elementary School and Wendover Middle School don’t have any reported cases.

Hempfield students continue to attend classes through a hybrid model, which is a mix of in-person and online classes.

Westmoreland County continues to set highs with the daily number of reported covid-19 cases. On Wednesday, 228 new cases were reported, bringing the county’s total to 6,649, the state Department of Health reported. The previous high was 207 reported last Thursday.

Five new deaths were also reported in the county Wednesday, bringing the total to 143.