Coronavirus In Allegheny County: 77 Coronavirus Cases Confirmed Across 4 Kane Community Living Centers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Allegheny County is reporting a total of 77 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 across its four Kane Community Living Centers.
On Friday, Kane Community Living Centers Director Dennis Biondo and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mario Fatigati held a conference call about mitigation efforts in place for residents and staff.
There's a case cluster in Glen Hazel, which was the first of the county's nursing homes to report a positive case back on March 25. Biondo says it was difficult to slow the spread there as sometimes it takes days to show symptoms of the virus.
Residents are still able to move freely throughout the centers. Biondo says this is speeding the spread.
"Just that movement in and of itself throughout the building leads to transmission of the infection," said Biondo.
In efforts to mitigate the spread, visitation has been suspended.
Kane officials said staff members are wearing PPE and getting fever checks as they enter and exit the buildings. Residents are getting fever checks also, during every shift change.
More than three weeks after the first COVID-19 case was reported in a staff member at the Kane Community Living Center in Glen Hazel, eight residents have recovered from the virus.
Fifty residents and 23 staff at Glen Hazel have tested positive for COVID-19. Four residents have died. Two Glen Hazel residents are currently hospitalized.
The Scott and Ross facilities both have one staff member who has tested positive. At McKeesport, one resident and one staff member have tested positive.
The county says it suspended testing at the Glen Hazel facility and is using full PPE for all staff, regardless of whether residents have tested positive.
"A lot of the patients are asymptomatic. The only real way to figure it out is to test. But testing has been limited. It's been hard to get and it's been hard to get results back," said Dr. Mario Fatigati.
Kane officials also wanted to stress transparency, and said daily updated numbers will be posted online here.
Biondo said he hopes this transparency will limit some of the anxiety that staff, residents and their families are likely feeling.
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