Nurse Christina Walter of Concordia at the Orchards in Butler checks the temperature of 94-year-old resident Paul Wolfe. According to administrator Emily Stumpner, Concordia checks resident's temperatures two to three times daily. The Orchard in Butler reported 31 cases among residents, five resident deaths and 19 cases among employees.

One of Concordia Lutheran Ministries' personal care homes in Cabot has the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths among personal care homes in the state despite testing, temperature screenings, limited visitation, disinfection efforts, face masks and employee training at Concordia facilities.

The Lund Personal Care center at Concordia at Cabot has had a total of 139 residents with the coronavirus as since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

No other facility in the state has a triple-digit number of patient cases, according to the DHS report. The second highest number, 72, was reported at a personal care home in Cumberland County.

The report says a total of 27 residents have died, and 57 employees have tested positive at the Lund center since the beginning of the pandemic.

One other facility had the same number of deaths, but others had less. The number of employee cases at Lund leads the state.

No case and death information is available about many personal care homes in the DHS report, which is included in reports from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Since the pandemic began in the spring, high numbers were also reported at the Oertel Personal Care center at Concordia at Cabot. There were 59 residents with COVID, seven resident deaths and 14 employees with COVID.

“Our prayers are with the families who have lost a loved one and anyone who has been afflicted by this awful, highly-contagious virus,” said Frank Skrip, Concordia's spokesman.Like other personal care homes across the state, Concordia has been battling the virus since the spring and has worked hard to limit its spread.“In Cabot, we are continuing to employ required testing of caregiving staff and residents in skilled nursing and personal care,” Skrip said. “We are screening residents' temperature multiple times per day, monitoring all residents for signs and symptoms, and continuing to screen staff members' temperature at the beginning and end of their shift.“We are utilizing disinfecting fogging machines, UV (ultraviolet) disinfection devices and a UV system in ductwork throughout the building,” he said. “We continue to in-service and educate our staff on infection control best practices. All staff are wearing the appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment), based on recommendations by the various governing agencies.”Other Concordia personal care homes in the county reported cumulative numbers that are in line with other facilities in the state. Concordia at the Orchard in Butler reported 31 cases among residents, five resident deaths and 19 cases among employees.Concordia of Cranberry reported a total of 25 cases among residents, 10 among employees and no deaths.On Monday, Concordia reported that three employees and 35 residents at Lund Personal Care, two employees and 29 residents in Oertel Personal Care, and eight employees and 24 residents in skilled nursing tested positive for COVID.On Tuesday, Concordia reported three residents at Lund, zero residents in Oertel, and 10 employees and five residents in skilled nursing tested positive.“Due to the subjectivity involved with determining cause of death for individuals with various co-morbidities, we can only confirm that the number of deaths reported in the (Department of Health) and DHS reports were the number of residents who passed away after (one time) testing positive,” Skrip said.Residents who test positive for the virus are treated at a hospital or at Concordia depending on symptom severity and other factors, he said. Some residents or their representatives make the choice to decline hospital treatment, he said.In addition, he said the first COVID vaccine clinic for skilled nursing staff and residents at Cabot is Jan. 12, and the CVS and Walgreens pharmacies will provide dates for Cabot personal care and other facilities in the near future.<em>Editor's Note: The article was updated to clarify which numbers reported by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services were cumulative to the beginning of the pandemic.</em>

Facilities run by the Concordia Lutheran Ministries are battling COVID-19 infections.At the Oertel Personal Care center at Concordia at Cabot, there are 59 residents with COVID, seven resident deaths and 14 employees with COVID reported.