COVID-19 deaths in long-term care centers now account for more than a quarter of all county coronavirus fatalities.
While there are signs that COVID-19 cases and deaths may be leveling off in Orange County and the rest of the state, infections in the county’s nursing homes and other long-term care centers continue to spike.
Nine facilities in the county had outbreaks as of Thursday, April 30 — up from four centers a week earlier — and at least 11 others have had at least one infection. The number of infections in long-term centers has increased 78% over that period to include 204 residents and 130 staff. Eleven patients and one employee have died of the coronavirus as of Thursday, seven of those in the previous week.
The death rate at such places is typically far greater than in the general population. Statewide, long-term care centers account for about 17% of cases and 44% of deaths, according to state data posted Tuesday. In Orange County, the centers accounted for 14% of all county cases and 27% of all coronavirus deaths as of Thursday.
“The heart of the deaths are coming from congregated living facilities, like skilled nursing facilities,” said Michael Dark, attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.
The county has increased testing in nursing homes and is preparing medical strike teams to respond to centers with outbreaks. On Thursday, county Health Officer Nichole Quick said addressing the coronavirus in nursing homes is a priority.
“Going forward, we’re going to look to increase these teams as we expect to continue to see this,” she said.
The county has begun testing all patients in centers where there are two or more infections, said Health Care Agency spokeswoman Jessica Good. Additionally, the county offers to test all staff at those facilities, she said.
However, staff testing is not mandated, according to an email from Huntington Valley Healthcare Center, which has been the hardest hit so far, with 64 patients and 36 staff infected and six patient deaths. Employees with symptoms have been directed to get tests, “but not all staff,” the Wednesday email said.
In a presentation to county supervisors on Tuesday, the Health Care Agency said the county doesn’t have enough testing supplies to meet demands at nursing homes.
But advocates say the county should be testing all patients — and staff — at all nursing homes as soon as there is a single positive test.
