8 deaths reported after recent Covid-19 outbreak at a Connecticut nursing home
By Sahar Akbarzai and Travis Caldwell, CNN
Eight residents of a nursing home in northwestern Connecticut have died since late September following a Covid-19 outbreak, the nursing home said in a statement.
A total of 89 residents and staff — many of whom were fully vaccinated — have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last seven weeks, Geer Village Senior Community in North Canaan said Friday, and 11 residents and one staff member remain in isolation.
“Sadly, we have lost 8 residents with serious underlying health issues to Covid,” the statement said.
The center first released information about the outbreak on October 3, stating that there were three positive cases among residents and a staff member who were all fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The outbreak began close to when Covid-19 boosters were given emergency use authorization by the FDA. Geer Village Senior Community CEO Kevin O’Connell told ABC News that nursing home officials had been working to schedule boosters since they were notified they were available to residents, but the logistics of vaccinating all staff and residents complicated their efforts.
CNN has reach out to Geer Village for further comment.
“Geer Nursing residents and staff will be eligible for the booster when we have gone two full weeks with no new positive cases,” the nursing home said in their statement. All staff and residents are also subject to bi-weekly testing for Covid-19, and all visits to the center remain on hold until further notice.
Eligibility for boosters has expanded to many adults in the US who have been previously inoculated, including: those ages 65 or older; at risk of severe Covid-19 from a breakthrough infection because of a medical condition such as diabetes, kidney disease or pregnancy; or at risk because of living conditions or work.
“While we must continue with Covid-19 prevention protocols, we want to assure everyone we are doing our best to keep residents and staff safe,” the statement said. “We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates for residents, staff, families, and community stakeholders as the situation changes.”
Only 10 of the 209 nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Connecticut, or 5%, have active Covid-19 cases, according to the most recent state data from October 27 through November 9. Of those 10 facilities, five facilities have only one active case.
By comparison, 20 of the 209 facilities, or 9.5%, had at least one Covid-19 case from September 15 through September 28, according to state data.
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