Uptick in COVID-19 reported at area nursing homes
In the last 60 days, five adult care facilities reported 170 cases of COVID-19 among patients and staff, Kris Dewey, information officer for the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency reported.
Going into fall, “We anticipated that COVID would uptick as flu upticks,” Dewey said. “And RSV is probably going to be right behind it."
Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a flu-like virus that is especially dangerous to older adults.
Official COVID case numbers are scarce since there are few mandatory reporters now that the federal health emergency is over.
Of the five facilities, only two are self-identified: Thurston Woods Village in Sturgis and Maple Lawn in Coldwater.
Tim Stoll, CEO of Thurston Woods, said Tuesday the outbreak in the Sturgis occurred two weeks ago at the not-for-profit retirement and healthcare facility for seniors. “We had about 12 residents and 13 staff” who tested positive for the COVID-19 infection, he said.
The outbreak quarantines and masking for patients and staff ended Monday, Stoll said.
“We think ours was from a visitor that came in and started it,” Stoll said.
All residents received treatment at Thurston Woods.
Maple Lawn saw an outbreak of 16 residents that began on Oct. 6, according to director Jayne Sabaitis. “The symptoms were very mild cold, like congestion, sore throat. Nobody was very ill,” she explained.
“We did have a couple asymptomatic that just tested positive because we were testing everyone in the building,” the director said.
Thirteen staff members came down with COVID-19 and were out. Ten returned to work this week. Everyone was masked this week.
Sabaitis said with the health emergency ended, services are back to normal with both residents and staff going in and out, so there is contact with those with infections.
The other three facilities were not identified.
Dewey said she spoke with the health agency’s COVID-19 coordinator. “She indicated that several of these started because the loved one was taken out of the facility for a doctor’s appointment or to spend time with family. They came back, developed symptoms, and the outbreak started.”
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The health agency recommends that when residents leave their facility, they take precautions, including wearing masks and washing hands regularly.
“Try to keep the exposure limited in the outside community,” Dewey suggested.
Dewey said, “When you have a population of individuals who have compromised immune systems, it doesn’t take much to have a larger outbreak.”
Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: COVID 19 nursing home increase
