Franklin County nursing home reports 33 positive coronavirus cases with more pending
Nearly half the residents at a Franklin County nursing home have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release from the Franklin County Health Department.
Two days ago, the department announced that one person had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Louisburg Nursing Center in Louisburg. But as more results are coming in, the county’s health department now says 30 residents and three staff members have tested positive.
The facility has 61 residents. A representative at the facility did not return The News & Observer’s message for comment.
More test results are expected to come within the next two days. The updated number has not been reflected in state’s record of Franklin County’s total case count yet, the press release states.
Nursing home outbreaks in NC
The outbreak at the nursing home in Franklin County is just one of 16 ongoing outbreaks at nursing homes across the state.
As of April 9 at 6:30 p.m.:
▪ At least 60 people at PruittHealth-Carolina Point in Orange County, both patients and staff, have tested positive. Two patients have died, according to Orange County. Three people have tested positive at Signature HealthCARE at Chapel Hill.
▪ At least 50 people tested positive at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center in Moore County. The county’s health department tested all 96 residents and the center’s 115-person staff. Of those 96 residents, 45 tested positive for the illness caused by the coronavirus. Five staff members also tested positive, according to the Moore County Health Department.
▪ Springbrook Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Clayton reports 26 cases — 20 residents and six staff members, according to the Johnston County Health Department.
▪ Chatham County reported four cases at the Laurels of Chatham Skilled Nursiing and Rehabilitation in Pittsboro.
New executive order
Gov. Roy Cooper issued a new executive order Thursday that outlines new mandatory instructions for long-term care facilities. They include halting group meals; taking the temperatures of employees before they enter the building; and increasing the monitoring of residents’ temperatures.
People 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions are considered to be the most at-risk of a severe illness when contracting COVID-19, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 6:44 PM.
