WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KRON) – The coronavirus shows no signs of slowing down as it spreads across the Bay Area infiltrating yet another nursing home that was unprepared to fight this deadly virus.
There’s been another outbreak at a Bay Area nursing home, this time, it is in the East Bay.
So far at least a dozen people living at the home have died from the virus.
The California Department of Public Health says 92 patients at ManorCare Health Services Tice Valley have tested positive for COVID-19. 12 so far have died and another 38 employees have tested positive.
“We tend to squeeze our sick elders into motel-like places sharing rooms with 1, 2, 3, 4 illnesses and we have infectious diseases for years,” Pat McGinnis said.
Pat McGinnis with California advocates for nursing home reform says it is a sad but all too familiar story.
“One of the biggest issues from the beginning is there was not enough testing and the fact that facilities didn’t have enough PPE and not enough staff and most facilities in California did not have enough staff,” McGinnis said.
In a statement ManorCare says earlier this year they began monitoring for symptom at the Walnut Creek facility of and in March they eliminated group activities, had universal masking for employees and eliminated visitors except for end of life reasons going forward they are restricting new admissions, taking regular symptom and temperature checks and increasing sanitizing and cleaning.
They have also created an airborne isolation unit to better treat high risk patients and to protect other residents and employees.
At this point, the facility says everyone inside has been tested, employees who test positive are self quarantining, and the state has sent in a strike force to deal with infections and exposures.
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