The new coronavirus continues to kill people at long-term care facilities in Massachusetts, including five people at a nursing home in Brockton and two more at a veterans' home in Chelsea.
The five residents' deaths and 28 positive coronavirus test results at Alliance Health at West Acres in Brockton come despite the home's best efforts, it said in a statement Tuesday.
"Our facility was prepared for COVID-19 and took protective steps for our residents and staff that went over and above guidance issued by the CDC and state public health authorities, including early deployment of surgical masks and protective gear for all staff before we had any cases," Alliance Health at West Acres said. "Unfortunately, this virus is insidious and fast moving."
Because the elderly are at high risk from being killed by COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, nursing homes have been given special consideration by public health officials. Of the 15,202 people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the Bay State, 958 are either residents or workers at long-term care facilities, according to Department of Public Health figures.
Massachusetts has deployed the National Guard to test all residents of nursing homes around the state, and Alliance Health at West Acres said it was grateful for the testing many of its residents have received.
But it continued, "but this virus moves so quickly that more efficient and widespread testing is a must. Ideally, we would like everyone in the facility to be tested. Until that happens, skilled nursing facilities across the state will continue to see more and more cases.
Two more residents of the Chelsea Soldiers' Home, a care facility for veterans, died as of Tuesday, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, bringing the home's total to five.
Four of those five have tested positive for COVID-19, with another's test results still pending. Fourteen total residents have tested positive, along with nine home staff, and more than 250 have are still awaiting their results.
