MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - A Mount Vernon nursing home is experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 among residents and employees, Skagit County health officials said .
So far, 21 residents and employees at Mira Vista Care Center have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Skagit Valley Herald reported. The first case was confirmed June 19, and others were confirmed with follow-up testing, officials said Monday. Most cases have been mild or asymptomatic.
“In congregate living situations, COVID-19 can be very challenging to contain,” Polly Dubbel, communicable disease and environmental health manager with Skagit County Public Health, said in a news release. “It’s so important that the community at large works together to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help stop the virus from entering these vulnerable facilities.”
The estimated 1.4 million people living in more than 15,000 nursing homes represent a tiny share of the U.S. population, but they have borne a disproportionate share of coronavirus deaths. Nursing homes are only now starting to emerge from a national lockdown in March.
Laura Gelwicks, Skagit County communications coordinator, said that much like the rest of Washington state, the area is seeing a general increase in virus transmission.
The state Department of Health says counties will remain in their current phase of reopening at least into next week because of increasing cases.
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