The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Tragedy as 19 residents die of Covid after virus ravages Fife care home
Atotal of 19 residents at a Fife care home have died after being diagnosed with the coronavirus in one of the worst local outbreaks so far in the pandemic.
NHS Fife confirmed the tragic death toll at Lomond Court Care Home in Glenrothes in an update on its website.
“Sadly 19 residents have died after contracting Covid-19,” it said.
The message also revealed: “A total of 31 residents within the care home have now been confirmed as positive for Covid-19, while an additional 40 staff and other individuals linked to the home have also been confirmed as positive for the virus.”
The home remains closed to new admissions and efforts to curb the spread of the virus have been stepped up.
NHS Fife’ s Health Protection Team and the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership is working alongside Fife Council’s Environmental Health Service to support the management of the care home and help reduce further transmission of the virus.
NHS Fife’ s deputy director of public health, Dr Esther Curnock, said: “We can confirm there have been further cases of Covid19 associated with Lomond Court Care Home and our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones at such a difficult time.
“Covid-19 is particularly infectious in older adults and care homes across Fife are working hard to try to prevent clusters of Covid-19 from developing.
“Alongside our colleagues in Fife Council and the Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, we are assisting care home managers to prevent spread and ensure that residents continue to receive a good standard of care.”
The virus has spread through Lomond Court in the past four weeks after an initial 26 residents and 22 staff were said to have tested positive at the start of December.
At the time, NHS Fife said the number of deaths was fewer than five.
The health authority confirmed there had been at least one death in another outbreak at the Abbotsford Bayview care home in Methil last night.
In a separate statement on its website, it said 21 residents and 16 staff associated with the premises had tested positive for Covid-19.
The message went on: “Sadly there has been a loss of life connected to the cluster, however the exact number is too small to release for reasons of confidentiality.
“Our thoughts are with the bereaved.”
Our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones at such a difficult time
Covid- 19 has ripped through a Fife care home, causing 19 deaths. Meanwhile, in Coupar Angus, the number of cases is spiralling.
The country is in effective lockdown. One could be forgiven for thinking we were back in spring 2020.
The cause of both outbreaks is being investigated but if either was avoidable through following simple guidelines, it will be damning.
This crisis has gone on long enough for lessons to be learned — ignorance of rules can never again be an excuse.