Community spread blamed for spiking covid-19 cases in Westmoreland County – TribLIVE

October 6, 2020

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Coronavirus infections in Westmoreland County jumped by nearly 600 cases over the past month, a statistic that county and state officials said Monday was attributed to a general community spread of the virus.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health disclosed that more than 100 cases were identified in the county over the past three days, including another 45 on Monday which was one less than reported in Allegheny County. Those numbers come as case totals continued to climb in Westmoreland County over the past several weeks and amid an ongoing outbreak at Westmoreland Manor, the 408-bed, county-owned nursing home in Hempfield that since mid-September has seen 86 cases among residents and 28 involving employees.

The county on Monday reported another three residents tested positive for covid-19.

This is a virus that spreads, said Roland Mertz, the countys public safety director. Even taking the Manor out, the numbers in the general population have risen as well.

State health officials Monday listed Westmoreland as among 46 counties with moderate transmission levels for the virus.

Meanwhile, deaths attributed to the virus rose by one Monday, standing now at 57, according the health department.

County officials continue to express concern they havent received additional information about the potential origin of diagnosed cases identified by contact tracing.

Dr. Carol Fox, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Excela Health in Greensburg, said contact tracing among cases diagnosed by the local hospital system determined that most have been related to patients who reported attending gatherings and parties where unmasked people attended. She said eating in public is a significant risk for potential exposures to the virus.

Were seeing more cases as people let their guard down. People need to wear masks because you are at risk when you are around others, Fox said.

Most contact tracing is performed by the state. Maggi Mumma, spokeswoman for the state health department, in an email Monday said the increased caseload in Westmoreland County was not attributed to rising numbers at the Manor, though she identified no other events as a potential spreader for the virus.

Of those new cases, there are 143 from long-term care facilities residents and 20 staff. Therefore, the majority of incoming covid-19 cases are not from long-term care facilities, it is likely community spread, Mumma said.

Commissioner Gina Cerilli said the countys increasing case totals is not unexpected.

If we want to keep our businesses and schools open, we have to continue to wear masks and to be careful. As more businesses continue to open, more cases is something that we have to expect, Cerilli said.

The increased number of cases, Fox said, is in part of function of more testing that is being performed by Excela and others. And even as daily hospitalizations continue to increase, it jumped from just a few several weeks ago to 22 patients now, Fox said the severity of the illness has been far less than what doctors saw over the summer.

Just one patient in the county is on a ventilator to assist with breathing, according to the state.

There is definitely a higher number of cases, but fewer require the most-intensive treatment, Fox said.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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