Four residents, three staffers at West Virginia nursing home test positive for coronavirus

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Four residents and three staffers at Sundale nursing home in Morgantown have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said today.

Among the first sectors in West Virginia shut down to visitors was nursing homes and assisted living centers because of concerns of how an outbreak could affect vulnerable populations.

But the Sundale situation this week became the first-known case of “community spread” in West Virginia.

“This is very, very, very troubling and very worrisome,” Gov. Jim Justice said of the nursing home situation today on MetroNews’ “Talkline.”

No one has yet said how the virus was introduced to the nursing home population despite strict visitation policies being introduced statewide two weeks ago.

Sundale medical director Carl Schrader said earlier Tuesday that two staffers are home-quarantined.

Three residents remain in hospital — “they’re very stable” — and one is isolated in the nursing home.

“We want to reassure those who have loved ones here that precautions are being taken,” Schrader said on “Talkllne.”

West Virginia’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities announced March 10 that visitors would be restricted because of the continued international spread of coronavirus.

“Thank God we issued that order as early as we did,” Justice said today.

“But we were always worried about the simple fact that staff comes and goes, and the people that are working there — some way, somehow contamination could get in to our most vulnerable citizens.”

The West Virginia Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes, today stated that facilities statewide remain vigilant in taking preventative measures to combat the virus.

“We know the virus has a disproportionate impact on our elderly, and our primary focus remains stopping the spread of the virus within this facility and others,” stated Mary Wright, chief executive of the association.

More broadly, nursing home industry leaders across the country announced unprecedented action earlier this month to curtail most social visits in the thousands of nursing homes and assisted living centers.

“The mortality rate is shocking,” Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive officer of the American Health Care Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group, told The New York Times earlier this month.

Guidance on the association’s website says, “Waiting until the virus starts to spread in the community, has been shown in prior viral epidemics to be too late.”

At least 73 facilities in 22 states are reporting infections according to a review by The Washington Post earlier this week.

Federal nursing home regulators found that the Life Care Center of Kirkland, Washington, which has been linked to 35 coronavirus deaths, failed to quickly respond. 

The Washington nursing home has been accused of a lag in testing and isolating sick residents and notifying officials of a respiratory outbreak.

In Morgantown, a female patient in her 70s started experiencing a temperature spike and respiratory distress early Sunday morning. She was transported to Ruby Memorial at 3:30 a.m. and was tested for the virus.

The results were available at 4 p.m., which made her the first case of West Virginia community transmission and kicked more testing into gear.

Gov. Jim Justice, appearing this morning on MetroNews’ “Talkline,” said the West Virginia National Guard has tested dozens of patients and staff at Sundale.

Justice said 11 staff and 52 residents were tested Monday, which resulted in the additional confirmations.

Forty more residents and 18 additional staff were being tested today.

“It’s something we’re on as best we possibly can be,” Justice said.

Wright of the West Virginia Health Care Association praised the quick action.

“As we have seen in other states, the quick identification and monitoring has significantly impacted the spread and treatment of the disease,” Wright stated.

 





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