CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The mass testing at nursing homes continue in West Virginia as there are multiple outbreaks across the state.
According to the latest numbers by the state Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR), 21 long-term care facilities have at least one resident with a current case of COVID-19.
Marty Wright, executive director of the West Virginia Health Care Association told MetroNews Thursday that there continues to be weekly testing of nursing home staff so the virus isn’t being brought into the homes.
“Pre-symptomatic individuals, testing everyone’s staff sometimes on a weekly or twice a week basis with the rapid test. Then when we have an outbreak to do really aggressive facility-wide testing, Wright said.
“All with the goal of trying to stop the spread, isolate those who have it and try to catch the asymptomatic spreaders.”
View: DHHR long-term facility numbers
Wright said the number of cases has gone down as the number of community outbreaks has lessened. Any single positive case of a staff member causes facility-wide testing.
“As the numbers continue to go down in West Virginia in terms of large outbreaks within a community, we are equally seeing lower numbers of positives within a nursing home,” Wright said.
“There really has been a correlation between the level of community spread and the possibility of getting positives with no building.”
According to the DHHR numbers, there are 39 active outbreaks at long-term facilities in the state. An outbreak is defined as at least one positive in the building whether staff or resident.
Cedar Ridge Center, Meadowbrook Acres and Marmet Center all in Kanawha County have numerous staff members testing positive for the virus.
Wright said all staff members in West Virginia have been heroic during this period.
“One of the biggest forces throughout this has been the frontline workers day in and day out facing threat of the virus, yet they still come in with the sole determination to protect and keep the residents safe.”