Coronavirus deaths are rising at Virginia, New Jersey nursing homes: At least 43 residents have died since mid-March
A pair of nursing homes, one in Virginia and another in New Jersey, are in crisis mode amid escalating coronavirus death tolls that rival the number of fatalities at a Seattle-area nursing home that was the early epicenter of the U.S. outbreak.
The deaths at Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in Henrico County near Richmond, about 115 miles south of Washington, D.C., have more than doubled in the past five days. Residents started contracting the virus in the middle of March. The center reported its 33rd death Wednesday.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who have passed, and we deeply feel the loss within our community,” Canterbury administrator Jeremiah Davis said, according to WTVR-TV.
Among the current residents, 49 have experienced virus-related symptoms, ranging from severe to mild, while 35 have tested negative. At least 25 Canterbury health care workers have tested positive for the virus.
A similar outbreak has swept through the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus, killing at least 10 residents and likely contributing to the deaths of 27 others over the past two weeks. Six residents have been hospitalized, 70 are ill and dozens of staff members have been diagnosed or are awaiting test results, according to official and inside sources.
To cope with the crisis, a team of 36 medics from the Army National Guard is to be deployed to the facility this week, a spokesman for the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said. The Bergen County veterans’ home, with 336 beds, is one of three such facilities operated by the state.
Of the home’s 394 staff members, 17 have tested positive and 20 are awaiting test results, documents show.
In Washington state's King County, which counts 230 coronavirus-related deaths, at least 37 have died at the Life Care Center of Kirkland, where the virus gained its initial foothold in the U.S.
Mapping coronavirus: Tracking the U.S. outbreak
In Maryland, at least 17 people have died of the virus at Pleasant View Nursing Home in Carroll County, according to state health officials. Gov. Larry Hogan said 81 residents and 31 staff members at the facility have tested positive for the virus.
Hogan, who said last week that 60 long-care treatment facilities are experiencing outbreaks, has established "strike teams" to help nursing homes with testing, supplies and on-site medical triage.
Contributing: Lindy Washburn, NorthJersey.com; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus death toll surges at Virginia, New Jersey nursing homes
