State’s Long-Term Care Facilities Continue to Top COVID-19 Mortality Numbers

A Jefferson County health care worker is the third staff member of a long-term care facility in the state to die from COVID-19.

Governor Andy Beshear made the announcement through a media release Friday afternoon. Although he did not give any specifics about the death, the state’s COVID-19 website Friday listed a staff death from the Nazerth Home in the Clifton community of Jefferson County. The previous two staff deaths were reported at the Summit Manor in Adair County.

The Jefferson County staff member was one of eight deaths reported by the governor Friday.

COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities have been a problem in Kentucky from the outset of the pandemic in March. 31-percent of the long-term care cases involving patients are active while 21-percent of the staff cases are active. Overall, long-term care facilities account for 19-percent of the state’s COVID-19 cases and 62-percent of the deaths.

In the past week, 44 of the state’s 48 deaths were from long-term care facilities. The state has announced a ramped-up effort to test every facility in the state. That has produced 165 new positive tests in the past week.

The state’s COVID-19 site says one staff member at both Western State Hospital and Outwood Hospital is listed as an active case.

As the state increases testing statewide, the number of positive cases has also increased. Beshear reported 289 new cases Friday, which marks the first time the state has seen consecutive days of 280 or more new cases. Testing in the state, which once ranked in the bottom five of the nation in tests per million people, has improved to 23rd nationally.

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