Turlock nursing facility sees 4th highest COVID resident deaths in CA, according to

Forty residents are currently sick with COVID-19 at Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and 40 residents have died since the pandemic started, according to the California Department of Public Health.The Turlock facility has had more residents die of the novel coronavirus than any other another nursing facility in the area, and the fourth most in the state, according to CDPH data.The facility reported different statistics saying 28 residents have died.“On behalf of our entire community, we join these families in mourning the loss of their loved ones to this insidious virus,” said a message posted on the facility’s website.According to regional director Melanie Bravo, Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center started seeing its recent outbreak in mid-November as cases in the surrounding community increased. The center saw its first outbreak in May when at least 14 residents died and at least 99 residents and 49 staff members tested positive for the virus.The facility is unique in that it takes in COVID-positive patients from hospitals after the county and state gave the green light. Bravo said they have CDC policies in place to prevent the virus from spreading out of the facility’s isolated recovery unit, like floor-to-ceiling plastic barriers and a separate entrance, equipment, AC units and staff.Throughout the pandemic, over 80 staff members have tested positive, according to both the facility and state. The facility said nearly 80% of those staffers have recovered.The center would not point to a specific cause for the recent outbreak and instead said that COVID presents a greater risk to nursing homes in communities that have a lot of cases. According to Stanislaus County Public Health, cases at skilled nursing facilities are increasing as the community at large is letting its guard down.“Almost 60% of all our cases has been related to gatherings, starting with Halloween time up ‘til now,” said county spokesperson Kamlesh Kaur.New daily cases at skilled nursing facilities statewide hit an all-time high on Sunday according to CDPH data. Meanwhile, state data also shows that the number of outbreaks and the mortality rate at skilled nursing facilities have decreased.Stanislaus County Health has a dedicated team working with nursing homes. Starting last month, Kaur said facilities now have to test staff and residents once a week. She said that was not happening before partly because of the lack of resources. The county is urging healthcare workers to test regularly.“We’re seeing a lot of gatherings that’s causing a lot of outbreaks,” Kaur said. “If you do work in healthcare facilities, especially skilled nursing facilities, please avoid attending these events because you could be an asymptomatic carrier and carrying this disease to the patients you are caring for.”KCRA 3 reached out to both the nursing facility and CDPH about the discrepancy in death totals.According to the CDPH, the state’s statistics may include residents who had COVID-19, but died of something else. Their numbers also include people who died within two weeks of being transferred out of a skilled nursing facility.According to Bravo, in keeping with state and federal guidelines, Turlock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is responsible for reporting only deaths attributable to residents who first tested positive for COVID after being admitted to Turlock.

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