Nursing homes continue to be hot spot of coronavirus activity, account for nearly 56 percent of state’s deaths

virus-outbreak-nursing-home-testing
virus-outbreak-nursing-home-testing

Nursing homes in Kentucky continue to be hot spot of coronavirus (COVID-19) activity as a long-term care facility had its residents evacuated over the weekend.

Eric Freidlander, Secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet of Health and Family Services, said Tuesday that Nazareth Clifton nursing home in Jefferson County evacuated 39 residents over a four hour period to six hospitals. The move was made after 20 staff members of the facility tested positive for the virus.

The removal of Nazareth Clifton residents represents the largest evacuation the state has undertaken since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky, Friedlander said.

To date, the state has tested 11,000 nursing home residents and staff, according to Gov. Andy Beshear, with 1,170 residents and 547 employees testing positive for the virus, equaling 19.2 percent of all COVID-19 cases in Kentucky. There have been at least 219 deaths arising from nursing homes, 55.6 percent of the commonwealth’s coronavirus-related deaths.

In Grayson County, 77 (58.3 percent) of 132 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have come from Grayson Nursing & Rehabilitation (62 victims) or Spring View Nursing & Rehabilitation (15 victims). Seven of the eight deaths in the county have been Grayson Nursing & Rehabilitation residents.

(Photo courtesy of the Associated Press)

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com