BERN TWP., Pa. – Berks Heim has lost its first resident to the coronavirus.
Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach announced Saturday that an 87-year-old woman in the county nursing home’s dementia unit, Essex Commons, died Friday, the same day she tested positive for COVDI-19.
Leinbach said the woman first showed symptoms of the virus on Thursday.
“The sad reality of this virus is that some people, primarily the elderly and those with underlying conditions will die,” Leinbach said. “That truth doesn’t make the loss any easier for family or friends and our prayers are with the family of this lady.”
The commissioners previously announced that two of the home’s residents and two employees tested positive for COVID-19.
Berks Heim remains off limits to visitors, and the facility has been screening all employees and others who are approved to enter the building. Employees are wearing isolation/surgical masks, and residents are being kept apart from one another.
As of Friday afternoon, 71 people have died in Berks County as a result of the coronavirus, according to the coroner.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that 1,537 people in Berks County have tested positive for COVID-19 and 3,432 have tested negative.
Any Berks resident with questions about the coronavirus can contact the county’s help center by calling 610-320-6150 or by emailing [email protected].
Staff will be on hand to answer phones and respond to emails seven days a week, from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.
Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911; social service questions or needs should be addressed by calling 211.
