CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The latest executive order from Gov. Jim Justice says all residents and staff at assisted living facilities in West Virginia will be tested for the coronavirus.
The tests will take place at approximately 91 facilities that house roughly 3,500 residents who are cared for by 4,000 staff members. The new testing follows the completion of testing at all nursing homes in the state, where approximately 25,000 patients and staff members were tested over a two week period.
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Many of the assisted living facilities are represented by the West Virginia Health Care Association. Chief executive officer Marty Wright said Justice’s executive order is a first in the nation.
“As we did with the nursing homes, West Virginia was the first in the nation to do it and by virtue of the governor’s order, we will be the first in the nation to do statewide testing of assisted livings,” Wright said during an appearance Thursday on MetroNews “Talkline.”
Marty Wright, CEO of @WVHCA1, speaks with @HoppyKercheval about the testing of residents and staff at assisted living facilities. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIRZCB pic.twitter.com/Kwp3z5QTw6
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) May 7, 2020
Wright said he hopes testing can be completed in two weeks with all test results back in three weeks.
“We were experiencing about that same turnaround time for the nursing homes, so I would expect in about the next two-and-a-half weeks, three weeks, we should have some final numbers in,” Wright said.
The licensed assisted living facilities will work with their county health departments, the National Guard and state DHHR to schedule and complete the testing.
The nursing home testing was new testing for some and re-testing for others. Wright said there only 11 new positive COVID-19 tests out of 9,200 patients tested. He said approximately 27 positive cases came out of 15,000 nursing home staff members tested.
“I think there’s a lot of confidence now that these aggressive measures and the dedication of staff and nurses on the front lines are really having a dramatic affect and to get these numbers and see the positive results out of that is really encouraging,” Wright said.
Justice ordered nursing homes tested after a spike of cases at the Eldercare facility in Ripley.
Information on the state Department of Health and Human Resources website Thursday afternoon, shows at least 32 of the state’s 81 COVID-19 related deaths have been at nursing homes.