National Guard Requested At Westmoreland Manor Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) – Westmoreland County leaders are bringing the National Guard in to a nursing home where coronavirus cases are rising.
Westmoreland County commissioner Sean Kertes says Excela Health and the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program advised county leaders to request the National Guard to come and begin testing patients and staff.
The long-term care facility first reported on Monday that 20 residents and two employees had tested positive for coronavirus. As of Thursday morning, 47 residents and seven employees were infected.
County leaders believe employees brought the virus into the facility, which had gone six months without any resident cases.
"There was a contract nurse that came into the Westmoreland Manor. It happened with being in contact with our other staff members and residents themselves," Kertes told KDKA earlier this week.
Westmoreland Manor is continuing to test all staff and residents who test negative every three to seven days until it's been two weeks since the most recent positive result. There are 336 total residents in the nursing home.
The National Guard is expected to arrive this weekend into Monday.