State discloses virus outbreak, death, at Seaside care homes

Erick Bengel, The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·2 min read

Aug. 26—The Oregon Health Authority has disclosed a coronavirus outbreak at one Seaside care home and a virus death at another.

In Wednesday's biweekly report tracking COVID-19 outbreaks at care homes, the health authority reported that Neawanna By The Sea experienced an outbreak among 10 people.

The virus cases were among five residents and five staff, according to Shawna Weist, the facility's executive director.

All five residents had been vaccinated against the virus, Weist said.

Of the infected staff, three had been fully vaccinated, one had received the initial series, and one had a vaccine exemption, she said.

The outbreak was first reported on Aug. 8. Weist said that the last round of tests had cleared everyone who had the virus.

"We've kept it pretty contained, considering we have about 30 staff and about 60 residents," she said.

She said no one was hospitalized as a result of the outbreak.

"This week, all of our tests are coming back negative," Weist said.

At Avamere at Seaside, a second death has been attributed to an outbreak of 14 people first reported to the state on June 27, the health authority disclosed.

A leader at Avamere's Wilsonville-based headquarters could not be reached to provide more information.

A routine state relicensure survey at Avamere in late June revealed numerous deficiencies in administrative oversight that posed a risk of harm to residents. The care home is under a corrective action plan.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautioned early in the pandemic that care homes, with communal living and close quarters, were especially vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks. Residents' age-related underlying health conditions render them vulnerable to severe, possibly fatal infections.

Earlier this year, Avamere experienced an outbreak of 10 virus cases, and Neawanna By The Sea had an outbreak of eight virus cases, according to the health authority.

Last summer, Neawanna had an outbreak of four virus cases that included a death.