WCHS Abc 8 March 24th 2020
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH)
The medical director at a Morgantown nursing home said Tuesday that multiple residents and staff members have been diagnosed with coronavirus.
Four residents and three staff members at Sundale Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center have tested positive for COVID-19, said Dr. Carl Shrader, medical director at the facility and a physician at WVU Medicine.
Shrader said the first case was confirmed about 4 p.m. Sunday. On Monday, the facility was alerted about more positive cases. The positive cases for staff members were reported late Monday evening and early Tuesday.
The chief executive officer of the West Virginia Health Care Association said the group was saddened to learn that multiple residents and staff at a nursing home in the state had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The news release didn’t identify the nursing home by name, but it said it is in Morgantown.
On Monday, it was announced that a resident at a nursing home in Morgantown had tested positive and that a second resident with the same symptoms was taken to the hospital. Her test was pending. The National Guard went to the nursing home and tested 18 staff members there.
A video posted on the Sundale Rehabilitation & Long Term Care Facebook page has an interview with an official who said that four residents and three staff members had tested positive for COVID-19. He said two other patients are being treated at Mon General Hospital, and their tests are pending. He said the National Guard is returning Tuesday to the facility to test 50 more staff members.
The West Virginia Health Care Association said the virus can have “a disproportionate impact on our elderly, and our primary focus remains stopping the spread of the virus within this facility and others.”
“Facilities statewide remain vigilant in taking preventative measures to combat the virus and we are grateful to all the local and state officials who have remained in regular contact with facilities around the state to offer assistance,” Marty Wright, chief executive officer of the West Virginia Health Care Association, said in a news release.
Wright said the West Virginia Bureau of Public Health is to be commended for the fast, aggressive testing of residents and staff in the facility.
“As we have seen in other states, the quick identification and monitoring has significantly impacted the spread and treatment of the disease. We also couldn’t be more proud of the strength, determination and compassion demonstrated by our long-term care staff as they remain completely focused on protecting the residents entrusted to their care,” Wright said.
The association said it will continue to monitor the situation at the nursing home in Morgantown, and “while not one of our member facilities, we stand ready to help its residents, staff and their respective loved ones in any way we can.”