2 cases of the coronavirus confirmed at Centre County senior living facility
A staff member and resident of The Oaks at Pleasant Gap each tested positive for the new coronavirus, according to letters obtained Tuesday by the Centre Daily Times.
They are the first known COVID-19 cases in a personal care facility or nursing home that operates in Centre County.
“Residents, families, staff and responsible parties, as well as the proper authorities, have been notified,” Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries Mission Advancement Director Andrea Schurr wrote in statement Tuesday that confirmed two positive cases. “We continue to take every precaution to keep everyone safe and follow public health recommendations.”
The senior living community learned of the staff member’s positive test Saturday and of the resident’s positive test Monday, according to the letters sent to residents and their family members.
The staff member is recovering at their residence and is receiving treatment from their physician. The resident is receiving treatment at “another care facility,” according to the letters.
Schurr declined to release where the resident is receiving care.
More than 450 nursing or personal care facilities in Pennsylvania have at least one confirmed case of COVID-19. Nearly 7,400 residents and more than 900 employees have tested positive statewide, according to the state Health Department.
Nearly 1,100 deaths — out of 1,716 total deaths statewide — have been reported in nursing or personal care homes, according to the DOH.
The DOH on Tuesday added Centre County to its list of counties with a case of COVID-19 associated with a nursing home or personal care home, listing one case among residents. The department’s website lists no cases among employees at a Centre County facility.
The name of facilities with COVID-19 cases are not released in Pennsylvania, although state and federal politicians have received some bipartisan support for making such details public.
People 65 and older and those who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility are among those who might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Most, if not all, care facilities in Centre County have implemented new procedures and lockdowns to mitigate spread of the disease.
Measures taken by The Oaks include strict hand-washing procedures, wearing of face masks and gloves, and enhanced cleaning and disinfectant protocols, according to the letters. Residents have also been asked to self-isolate in their residences.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 3:48 PM.