O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — 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 that the National Guard “can play a critical role” in transporting patients and supplies, freeing up health care workers to focus on treating patients. Leaders of the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said that the peak of the pandemic in the St. Louis area is expected to occur in two to three weeks. The task force is made up of the region’s largest hospitals.