At least 30 people test positive for coronavirus at nursing home in Pinehurst

Apr. 8--More than 30 people at a nursing facility in Pinehurst have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a press release from the Moore County Health Department.

After a person linked to Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center tested positive last weekend, the county's health department tested all 96 residents and the center's 115-person staff on Monday and Tuesday. Of those 96 residents, 26 tested positive for the illness caused by the coronavirus. Five staff members also tested positive.

Not all results from the tests have come back. Residents who have tested positive have been isolated, according to the press release. None of the residents are currently exhibiting severe symptoms.

When reached Wednesday afternoon, an employee at the facility referred all questions to Liberty Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services, which owns the center.

The News & Observer has requested comment from Liberty Healthcare.

The Pilot in Pinehurst was the first to report the news. The newspaper says it made a public records request to the county's health department for the name of the facility and was initially rejected. But the Moore County Health Department eventually fulfilled its request.

The facility's outbreak is responsible for more than half of Moore County's 51 positive cases.

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