All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Wayne County nursing home announces 66 cases of COVID-19 on Monday

The Wayne Nursing & Rehabilitation Center announced on Facebook Monday night that a total of 66 people at the facility have tested positive for COVID-19.

That tally includes 36 patients and 30 employees.

“We have tested 58 patients and 70 employees at Wayne Nursing & Rehabilitation Center,” according to the post. “We received 36 positive COVID-19 tests and 18 negative test results from our patient testing. From our employee testing, 30 tested positive and 34 have tested negative. There are 10 test results still pending.”

Monday’s official 5 p.m. update from the DHHR included 19 cases from Wayne County, as well as one death. It is one of 12 ‘hot spot’ counties operating under a more stringent executive order.

The nursing and rehabilitation facility said they opted to do a full round of diagnostic testing, going beyond the health department’s initial evaluation, after nine staffers and seven residents tested positive for COVID-19 last week.

“Out of an abundance of caution, Wayne Nursing & Rehabilitation Center tested employees who did not have a known exposure and were not tested as part of the Wayne County Health Department’s (WCHD) evaluation,” the Facebook post notes. “We made the decision to have all employees and patients tested to identify and prevent further spread of the virus. Extending the testing beyond what was done by the WCHD was important to us.”

The post notes that the facility is working with the health department to prevent any further spread of the virus.

“We have received so many thoughts, prayers and well-wishes from our families and our Wayne community,” said Cindy Cooper, Executive Director at Wayne Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. “A church prayed in our parking lot on Easter Sunday, meals have been delivered and signs thanking employees for their dedication have been posted in the yard. Thank you to everyone for thinking of us. It means a lot to our patients, our families and our employees.”

As of Monday night, the DHHR had reported a total of 633 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia, including nine deaths.

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