Montgomery County nursing home evacuated due to COVID-19 staffing issues

WYNCOTE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- As coronavirus cases grow inside long-term care facilities across the country, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, an evacuation is underway due to the virus.

All residents at Phoebe Wyncote are in the process of being evacuated due to staffing problems related to COVID-19.

The residents are being moved to a new facility owned by the same company in the Lehigh Valley.

"They were having staffing problems due to staff that are positive with COVID-19," said Dr. Valerie A. Arkoosh, Chair, Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday.

She says the county is monitoring all of its long-term care facilities and that's where the virus has been extremely dangerous.

"As of today we have 79 facilities that are reporting positive cases of COVID-19 among either their staff or their residents," said Arkoosh.

She says hundreds of residents and staff have now fallen ill with the virus.

"This brings us to a total of 447 cases among residents and 289 cases among staff," Arkoosh added.

And as of now, 77 residents of long-term care facilities in the county have died.

The 77 deaths represent 64% of all the COVID-19 related deaths in Montgomery County.