Health
Baltimore Sun
Apr 15, 2020 1:41 PM
A Baltimore nursing home is reporting 129 cases of coronavirus among its residents and 41 positive tests among its staff in one of the largest outbreaks of COVID-19 in the country.
FutureCare Lochearn officials said they uncovered the outbreak through what they called “widespread surveillance testing,” out of concern that its population of 200 residents was especially vulnerable because the facility is in an area with some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections in the state. The facility has been observing orders restricting visitors and requiring staff wear protective equipment, officials said.
A group wearing personal protective equipment stands outside of FutureCare – Lochearn, which on Wednesday April 15 saw the largest outbreak of any nursing home in Maryland.(Jerry Jackson)
Most of the residents were not showing symptoms linked to coronavirus infections, and still aren’t, FutureCare spokeswoman Holly O’Shea said. But nursing home administrators “felt strongly that it was important to know who was carrying the virus, even if they didn’t present specific COVID-19 symptoms, to mitigate its spread and protect our staff and residents,” she said.
“This type of surveillance testing is unprecedented and can save lives,” she said.
With 170 total cases at FutureCare Lochearn, the cluster appears to be the second-largest in the country tied to nursing homes, behind only the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where 194 people have contracted the coronavirus, according to data collected by The New York Times. It is the eighth-largest coronavirus cluster in the country, behind only outbreaks on an aircraft carrier, in jails and prisons and at a pork processing plant, according to the data.
COVID-19 infections have now been reported in nearly two-thirds of Maryland nursing homes — 145 of 226 facilities.
“The Baltimore City Health Department is aware of the confirmed COVID-19 cases at the FutureCare – Lochearn location, and is working diligently with FutureCare management,” Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young said in a statement. “I have spoken with Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, and will continue to monitor the situation at this facility.”
State officials said FutureCare requested a nursing home “strike team” to help manage the outbreak Wednesday morning. They sent a team that includes members of the National Guard, EMS clinicians and doctors and nurses from local hospitals, to the facility, officials said.
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“FutureCare’s highest priority continues to be the safety and well-being of our staff and residents, and we will continue to work diligently with the state and local health departments, our LifeBridge Health partners, and our Johns Hopkins infectious disease consultant, to protect our staff and residents,” O’Shea said in a statement.
It serves patients on hemodialysis and provides both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care, according to its website.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Baltimore Sun reporter Luke Broadwater contributed to this article.
Health 170 coronavirus cases confirmed at FutureCare Lochearn in Baltimore in largest nursing home outbreak in state - Baltimore Sun
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