Sherwood Oaks is county’s first outbreak in a nursing facility
FORTBRAGG » Four of the county’s new Coronavirus cases are an employee and residents of the Sherwood Oaks Health Center in Fort Bragg, whichmakes itMendocino County’s first outbreak within a skilled nursing facility.
The risk of contracting COVID-19 increases in the elderly, and eight out of ten individuals intheUnitedStateswhohavedied fromthe viruswere 65 yearsoldor older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On July 7, an employee of the nursing facility tested positive for COVID-19, and was put in immediate home isolation, according to officials.
Sherwood Oaks Health Center collaborated with Mendocino County Public Health, and the facility went into its pre-planned outbreak response. Employees at the facility now wear personal protective equipment, residents are encouraged to isolate in their rooms and all 135 employees and residents were tested on July 8.
All three of the residents that have contracted the virus are currently asymptomatic, according to health officials.
“Wemonitor the residents’ temperaturedaily,” director of nurses, Luna Armstrong, said. “We take this really seriously because these are real, vulnerable people here and we don’t want in our building.”
As of July 13, Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan had confirmed 29 new cases of the Coronavirus in the county just within the last three days — bringing the total number of confirmed cases up to 146, according to Mendocino County’s website.
Those cases include the 90 individuals that have already recovered, one that is currently hospitalized and 40 that are recovering in isolation.
The Sherwood Oaks tests were processed by the PublicHealth Viral andRickettsial Disease Lab in Richmond, a lab that’s beenmade available toMendocino County for outbreak testing. On July 11, Sherwood Oaks’ three confirmed cases were reported to the PublicHealth department.
Before the outbreak, the nursing facility was actively looking for a lab to conduct monthly testing to assure the safety of the residents. The facility was also following the Health Officer’s Medical