Nursing homes see cases, despite action
Nursing homes in the region are seeing cases of COVID-19 within their walls even as they have taken actions to mitigate residents’ exposure to the virus.
A nursing home in Morgantown, W.Va., on Friday confirmed it had 29 total cases of the virus — 21 residents and 8 staff members — according to Mary Wade Triplett, spokesperson for the Monongalia County Health Department in West Virginia.
“It is the horror story that we absolutely didn’t want to have happen, at least from a nursing home standpoint, because that’s a place, you know, that our elderly are at for sure,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said at a news conference Thursday.
There were 76 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia as of Friday.
Two patients at Kane nursing home in Glen Hazel on Friday were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. A staff member at the county-owned facility also tested positive, but the county said there was no interaction between the staff member and the patients.
Many nursing homes began restricting most visitors after a March 13 mandate from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with some barring family and guests even earlier than that.
Such precautions have been taken because the elderly are one of the most at-risk populations. At Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., 33 residents died after the virus infected dozens of residents and staff members.
Kane nursing home has had a no-visitor policy since March 13. The two residents who were confirmed to have the virus were tested because of unexplained fevers and are now in isolation. There are 217 residents at the facility.
In New Jersey, several residents from different nursing homes have died due to COVID19, with the state reporting Friday 8,825 total cases and 108 deaths statewide.
A Woodbridge, N.J., nursing home was forced to evacuate 94 residents Wednesday after it was shut down following the deaths of 11 patients.
So far, there have been no known deaths from the Morgantown nursing home, despite reports Friday that someone had died.
“Now, we all know the odds
are really against us” because West Virginia is an atrisk state, Mr. Justice said during a video conference Friday, but the state will take additional measures to make sure future reports were accurate.
Nearly 20% of the West Virginia’s population is over 65 years old, according to the latest Census estimates.
In Pennsylvania, around 18% of the population is over 65; in Allegheny County, it is closer to 19%.
More than 80,000 Pennsylvanians live in nursing homes, according to the state. contributed. Mick Stinelli: mstinelli@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1869 and on Twitter: @MickStinelli