National Guard's help sought in St. Louis County

O'FALLON, Mo. -- The top elected official in Missouri's largest county is seeking help from the Missouri National Guard in preparation for an expected surge in coronavirus-related hospitalizations.

Democratic St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said in a statement Wednesday the National Guard "can play a critical role" in transporting patients and supplies, which would free up health care workers to focus on treating people.

Leaders of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force, made up of the region's largest hospitals, said the peak of the pandemic in the St. Louis area is expected to occur in two to three weeks.

As of Wednesday, 585 people in the region were hospitalized for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, or for symptoms indicating possible infection. Of those, 233 were in intensive care and 186 were on ventilators.

The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. The vast majority of people recover.

"As we move into what is expected to be the surge of this virus, we need help transporting patients and equipment and additional security at our hospitals, county warehouse and our North County Recreation Center, which we have converted into a shelter for our homeless population to reduce their level of exposure," Page wrote in a letter to Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Tuesday. "We also need med techs to augment our staff at triage and testing sites."

St. Louis County spokesman Benjamin Granda said the National Guard is expected to arrive soon. To dispel rumors, Granda said the Guard will have no role in enforcing stay-at-home orders.

In neighboring St. Charles County, a new outbreak was reported at a psychiatric hospital.

St. Charles County officials say 20 staff members and three patients at CenterPointe Hospital have tested positive since March 28. CenterPointe medical director Azfar Malik said in a statement admissions were halted March 29 but will resume after thorough cleaning and disinfecting.

Fifty-eight people have died in Missouri from COVID-19 and 3,327 cases have been confirmed, according to statistics posted Wednesday on the state health department website. The state had cited 53 deaths and 3,037 cases on Tuesday.

The actual number of deaths in Missouri may be significantly higher. A database operated by Johns Hopkins University shows 86 deaths as of Wednesday morning. The discrepancy could be because the university updates its data more often, and Missouri just recently changed its policy to require that coronavirus deaths be reported within 24 hours.

Another rise in confirmed cases was reported at a nursing home. Franklin County Presiding Commissioner Tim Brinker cited 34 confirmed cases and three deaths at Grandview Healthcare in Washington, Missouri, about 50 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Nursing homes have been severely impacted by the virus. In Missouri, five residents have died at Morningside East Assisted Living Center in Springfield, and five others have died at Frontier Health & Rehabilitation in St. Charles, where 42 residents and eight workers have tested positive since the outbreak was first reported March 23.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced $27.7 million was awarded to 29 Missouri health centers. to help detect, prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19, and to maintain or increase capacity and staffing levels during the pandemic.