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Area residents with family members at a Perryville nursing home were notified last week that a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19.
The singular case, identified at Independence Care Center, marked the second local nursing home to report a positive case at one of its facilities.
“As of June 27, one staff member working in our dietary department has tested positive and is quarantined at home,” said ICC administrator Dana Korando in a recorded message to family members. “We are currently following the criteria for return to work for healthcare personnel with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 guidance issued by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], and as a result, all staff and residents will be tested.”
Those test were administered on Sunday, and on Tuesday, families received a second message with a dose of welcome news.
According to Tuesday morning’s message, 280 tests were administered and 271 negative results were received, a number which included all residents at the facility. On Tuesday afternoon, it was unclear if the remaining nine tests were also negative or still pending, but according to one employee, those nine were kitchen workers who have no contact with residents and were sent home after the initial case was identified.
In a statement released on Facebook, Independence Care issued a statement via Facebook calling the test results “wonderful news.”
Korando did not respond to messages left on Monday or Tuesday seeking comment, but in an interview June 3, told the Republic-Monitor that ICC was ready in the event of an outbreak.
“We feel we are well prepared if we would get a COVID positive resident or staff member,” Korando said. “We have been working on this plan for over two months in preparation. We will have a dedicated wing with a COVID nursing staff dedicated strictly to that unit. Our maintenance department has temporary walls already built for immediate reaction if needed. All equipment needed has been purchased and stored for this specific unit. All departments have been meeting daily to brainstorm and assure all thoughts and ideas have been taken into consideration.
“It’s been a true team effort.”
In the wake of the positive case, Independence Care has suspended all in-person visits through the end of July. According to Tuesday’s statement, other visitation options are available and family members should contact the facility to make arrangements.
The first case in a local nursing home was reported at the end of May at Estates of Perryville. Since that time, multiple cases have been reported at the facility, including both staff and residents. It is unclear exactly how many.
When asked about the number of cases in local nursing homes, Perry County Health Department director Sylvia Forester declined to comment specifically on the matter, saying she was unable to do so.
“We have no hidden agenda,” Forester said. “We are simply using local data and the latest information and recommendations by the medical and public health communities, at large, to inform the public and set forth recommendation and guidelines that best protect the health and lives of our county’s citizens. We have tried to remain as transparent with information and updates as possible, to educate citizens on local COVID-19 activity so that they can make the best decisions for them and their situations.”
Following the announcement of the initial case at Estates, Forester said that the health department remains in communication with the facility and the state Department of Health and Senior Services, and will conduct contact investigations and make further recommendations and issue guidance based on the results of testing.
Perry County Presiding Commissioner Mike Sauer, who is regularly briefed by health department staff, had more to say.
“The major outbreak we have now is at one of the nursing homes, Estates of Perryville,” Sauer said. “It’s a lot of the residents there, which is scary. We knew once it was in there, it was going to be hard to stop it. Our biggest fear is the death of anybody. The employees there have to really take caution and make sure that they follow the rules so they don’t bring it out in public and spread it.”
As of Monday, Perry County had seen a 134.4 percent increase in total cases, rising from 62 on June 1 to 143 on June 29. According to Monday’s report from the county health department, there were more than 70 active cases in Perry County with six being treated in hospitals, three of them on ventilators.
By comparison, the health department in neighboring Cape Girardeau County — which has nearly four times the population of Perry County — reported 159 confirmed cases on Monday, with 53 active cases and three deaths.
On Tuesday, DHSS reported 21,551 confirmed cases in Missouri with 1,015 deaths.
According to a new release issued by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services on June 15 — one day before Gov. Mike Parson declared the state open for business — 222 Missouri long-term care facilities had reported at least one case among staff or residents since the nationwide pandemic began.
In conjunction with the governor’s announcement of an end to statewide restrictions, DHSS issued new guidance for long-term care facilities, which had been following strict lockdown procedures since May 18. Since that time, most nursing homes, residential facilities and long-term care facilities had been restricting visitors and monitoring staff, as well as following various internal procedures.
At Independence Care, those procedures have included social distancing among residents; requiring staff to wear masks at all times; limiting visits to virtual communication, window visits and an intercom system; and an isolation room for residents who have been transported outside the facility for medical care.
The new guidance from DHSS describes strategies allowing for outdoor, socially distanced visits, along with open window visits for bed-bound patients, communal dining and other group activities, along with possible procedures in case of positive cases.
“We have been taking every step as recommended by authorities to help contain the spread of the virus and keep our community safe,” Korando said on June 3. “We have made residents, their families, and our dedicated staff aware of the situation and have reassured everyone that we are on top of it.”
