Residents of nursing homes make up about 80% of Sonoma County residents who have died from coronavirus complications, an alarming statistic that shows how the infectious disease has devastated the area’s most vulnerable population.
With the last four deadly county officials reporting Monday and Tuesday, at least 40 of the 51 locals who have lost their lives to the virus since the pandemic began in March were residents of knowledgeable nursing centers as well. residence for care.
“It’s devastating to affect these vulnerable people in this way, and for the families it’s just awful,” said County Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase in an interview Tuesday.
They deal with seniors in nursing homes in the state and country who have the worst consequences of the infection, she said.
“We are not alone, this is happening all the time,” Mase said. “These are the vulnerable people, and these are the housing institutions that are most affected.”
Two of the most recent deaths were residents of nursing homes. Both were female, over 64 and each had underlying health conditions, local health officials said. One woman died Saturday in an unidentified local hospital and the other died Sunday at the unidentified nursing home where she lived.
A third death involved a man who did not live in a senior care facility but was also over 64 with underlying medical problems, health officials said.
Details of a death reported late Tuesday were not immediately available.
Among the province’s elderly care homes are 20 skilled nursing centers and 177 residential care facilities for the elderly. Five experienced nursing homes countywide have reported to the state that at least one resident died from complications of COVID-19. They are: EmPres Post Acute and Rehabilitation in Petaluma; Petaluma post-acute rehabilitation; Broadway Villa Post Acute and Sonoma Post Acute, both in Sonoma; and Cloverdale Care Center.
Mase said Tuesday that there is some good news for seniors recovering from the virus and those living in some of the local nursing homes, who have been hit hardest by deadly transmission of the highly contagious disease. Nursing homes that have had persistent outbreaks in the past month or more, she said, have made progress with infection control.
What’s more, the health officer said none of the seniors in nursing or residential homes who have suffered from the disease and recovered have contracted the coronavirus a second time.
“A good portion of the population has been restored,” Mase said. “We do not know that this necessarily provides immunity. … Once someone has received COVID and is done with their isolation period and is considered repaired, we have not seen anyone get COVID again. “
Managed nursing homes are medical centers licensed by the California Department of Public Health to provide extended and supported medical care on an extended basis. They usually have a large senior population.
Housing facilities, often referred to as assisted living or boarding and nursing homes, are non-medical centers that provide some assistance to residents with basic daily activities. They are licensed by the California Department of Social Services.
The Sonoma County housing agency’s online listing of seven or more people on Tuesday left only one such site that reported infections or deaths related to COVID-19: Mirabel Lodge, a Forestville facility that the space has for 34 people, according to state data.
The data shows Mirabel Lodge reported that 14 residents there were infected. Alain Serkissian, co-owner and president, did not respond to requests for an interview on Tuesday.
For its part, Mase on Tuesday declined to comment on possible viral outbreaks and deaths at specific reputable nursing homes or home skin care sites, citing federal privacy rules that protect information about human health care.
You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or [email protected]. On Twitter @pressreno.
