2 dead, at least 18 more infected with covid-19 at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland

A covid-19 outbreak has killed two people and infected at least 18 more residents at St. Barnabas Nursing Home in Richland, a spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

No details were available about the pair of recent deaths linked to covid-19, the highly contagious disease caused by the coronavirus.

It’s taken nine days for St. Barnabas Nursing Home’s total number of cases to climb to 20 and counting. Only two residents had tested positive as of March 29.

“It’s very difficult for everybody,” St. Barnabas Health System spokesman Jim Lauteri said by phone. “Of course we’re concerned. We’re concerned about all the patients and residents that live at St. Barnabas.”

None of the 18 sick patients had severe enough symptoms to require transfers to a hospital as of Tuesday night, according to Lauteri.

“If any of them need additional care, we would not hesitate to get it for them,” he said.

Those who have tested positive are being isolated in a corner of the building, which is near Meridian Road and Hilltop Drive about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh.

“There have been a number of people (staff members) that have volunteered to work in that unit,” Lauteri said. “… All the residents are secure inside rooms. They’re not being moved around; their meals are brought to them.”

Separately, a staff member is self-isolating at home after testing positive for covid-19. The employee was tested after showing up to work with a fever, Lauteri said. Officials are taking temperatures before allowing staff to enter facilities.

No other cases have been reported across the St. Barnabas Health System, which spans three retirement communities, home and hospice care, an outpatient medical center and five assisted-living facilities in Allegheny, Butler and Beaver counties.

Lauteri said employees appear to “have the supplies that they need” in terms of protective gear. They’re following guidelines issued by health professionals, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

St. Barnabas began restricting visitors’ access to the nursing home March 12, a week after the first covid-19 cases emerged in Pennsylvania.

Nursing home cases mount statewide

Statewide, at least 674 active cases of covid-19 are in nursing homes, or about 4.6% of the more than 14,000 total confirmed cases, data show.

Among other nursing home outbreaks in Western Pennsylvania:

• At least 29 residents and employees at Kane Community Living Center in Allegheny County have tested positive for coronavirus as of Tuesday, compared to three positive cases as of March 27.

• Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County — where more than 34 have been infected with covid-19 and at least three people have died — announced it no longer will be releasing the number of cases. Officials instead are presuming all residents and employees may have the disease.

• At least six residents and a staff member at Ligonier Gardens Personal Care Home in Westmoreland County had tested positive for covid-19 as of March 31, according to Bethlen Communities, the nonprofit organization that operates the home. An updated count was not available late Tuesday.

Seniors and people with underlying health conditions remain the most at risk of suffering from severe symptoms or dying of covid-19.

The 65-plus age group accounts for 20% of Pennsylvania’s total covid-19 cases, but 51% of cases that require hospitalization, state data show.

RELATED: Pennsylvania sees 78 new coronavirus deaths in biggest single-day spike