9 COVID-19 cases in Worland senior living facility

WORLAND — Nine cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been confirmed among residents and staff at the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) initially reported on Sunday.

On Sunday, the WDH announced that officials had identified five cases among staff members and four among residents of Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center (WHRC). Lab testing at the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory confirmed most of the known cases. Of the five staff members, four are counted as Washakie County cases, one is a Hot Springs County case.

According to WDH Public Information Officer Kim Deti, as of Tuesday morning, the numbers remained at nine from the outbreak with a few tests still pending.

At this time, all residents and staff have been tested, according to the WDH. “We should know within a day or two (regarding the remaining pending tests). Future rounds of testing are expected among the staff and the residents,” Deti said.

Deti said, “The situation was identified because two staff members who had symptoms did the right thing and got tested. However, at this point, no one should assume those staff members are the reason the virus was introduced into the environment. We do not yet have a final answer as to what occurred.”

She added that it is unclear at this time how the virus was introduced among the staff and residents, or how many of the newly confirmed cases are experiencing symptoms, according to the WDH.

The Wyoming Department of Health website shows one COVID-19 patient hospitalized at Washakie Medical Center as of Tuesday, May 19. No further information is available.

According to Deti, a team from the WDH did go for a visit to the facility on Monday “to work on follow-up and review infection control procedures. The facility staff has been helpful and are following our guidance for separating staff and residents such as separating staff and residents into groups and limiting interaction between groups.”

When anyone is confirmed as a case, Deti explained, follow-up includes interviewing them to identify close contacts. People who are confirmed or probable cases are given isolation orders; close contacts receive quarantine orders. Isolation is staying away from other people, staying in a separate room, including while eating, using a separate restroom. Quarantine is separating yourself from the community.

Probable cases are close contacts of lab-confirmed cases with symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

According to the Washakie County Incident Management Team no changes are expected regarding the county’s Level 2 status or to the loosening of restrictions that have been allowed through the state.

FIRST CASE

The first case from the outbreak was reported Friday by the Washakie County Public Health. That case was Washakie County’s sixth case, the first since early April. Washakie County Public Health said the person was tested out of state.

On Friday, according to the Washakie County situation report 95 COVID-19 tests had been completed in the county. On Monday, the county reported 268 tests completed, 245 negative, 10 pending, eight active cases of the 13 lab-confirmed cases. Washakie County’s five previous cases have all been listed as recovered.

HOT SPRINGS COUNTY

The WDH also confirmed that one of the three new lab-confirmed cases in Hot Springs County is tied to the Worland Healthcare outbreak. Hot Springs County had a total of three new cases reported over the weekend. None of those cases have been hospitalized according to Hot Springs County Public Health. Only one is tied to the Worland facility, according to the WDH.

According to Hot Springs County Public Health Nurse Manager Tricia McPhie they are considering the other two cases as community spread. “We anticipated seeing a few more cases as restrictions were eased,” she said, adding that they hope people will still social distance when out in the community, wash their hands and wear masks to help minimize the spread.

She said their COVID-19 team is not have any conversations at this time to change any measures due to the new cases.

Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with WDH, emphasized the protection of older Wyoming residents of long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living centers has been the department’s top concern and priority throughout the pandemic.

“We know the residents of these places are among the most vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 and we have seen terrible situations occur in other nursing homes across the country,” she said. “We also recognize that the nature of long-term care facilities can make it very challenging to control the spread of the virus once it’s been introduced into a specific location.”

Current nursing home guidelines strictly limit visitors or non-essential healthcare personnel. “We believe this policy has been helpful in Wyoming over the last couple of months, but, the risk of potential exposure through staff and patients still exists,” Harrist said.

COVID-19 can be transmitted by infected people who do not yet have symptoms. Disease symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after virus exposure and include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.

Deti said the Washakie County community “should be concerned by this outbreak, but it is no reason to panic.”

Harrist said this situation should serve as reminder that everyone should still take precautions to avoid becoming ill with the virus or passing it along to others. “Unfortunately, this virus is still among us,” she said.

WORLAND HEALTHCARE AND REHABILITATION

Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center is a Five Star Senior Living facility.

According to the Five Star website in a statement posted in April, “Consistent with recommendations of and directives by federal, state and local regulatory agencies, all of our communities and clinics have implemented and continually updated infection and disease prevention protocols along with a number of other precautionary measures specifically tailored to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

“We have strict guidelines in place prohibiting all non-essential visitors from entering Five Star communities. Prior to entering, team members and essential visitors are screened for signs of a fever or other indications of COVID-19. Everyone is required to thoroughly wash or sanitize their hands and wear a facemask before entering a community. We continue to closely monitor all residents and team members for signs and symptoms and immediately follow recommended protocols to contact a physician and family, and isolate or send home someone exhibiting specific COVID-19 symptoms. Additionally, we have temporarily closed all dining areas and postponed all non-medical resident outings and other social events. We strongly encourage independent living residents to refrain from leaving the community. Any resident leaving and returning to the community will be screened and may be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

“At Five Star, we continue to closely follow the recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as federal, state and local regulatory agencies, and will continue taking proactive measures to ensure the safety and health of residents, clients and team members in our communities and clinics. Our team members are experienced, well prepared and specifically trained for infection prevention and control practices. We will continue to be vigilant and proactive in navigating this challenging situation.”

The WHRC earned the large business of the year award earlier this year from the Worland-Ten Sleep Chamber of Commerce. Chamber President Steve Radabaugh said they have been in business for about 50 years. “They provide services to a segment of our population that they really care for. They are responsible for providing 90 full- and part-time jobs here in Worland. We are grateful to the care they provide to our loved ones.”

There are about 60 residents according to Deti.

In an article in the Northern Wyoming Daily News in 2018, Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center Admission and Marketing Coordinator Deana Orona said that the Worland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center offers care that falls into three basic categories: short-term rehabilitation, long-term care and special needs care.

“Short-term rehabilitation is physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. People often need this after surgery or after an illness so that they can gain their strength back and be more independent at home. The special care unit focuses primarily on dementia care and long-term care for anyone who has maybe a chronic illness or they are in need of more assistance with their activities of daily living either related to age or illness,” Orona said.

Calls to Worland Healthcare this week were referred to Joyce Elven, director of corporate communication of Five Star Senior Living. Elven did not respond to questions by press time.

SLOW THE SPREAD

WDH recommendations to help slow the spread of illness include:

• Follow current public health orders.

• Stay home when sick and avoid contact with other people unless you need medical attention.

• Follow common-sense steps such as washing your hands often and well; covering your coughs and sneezes; and cleaning and disinfecting.

• Wear cloth face coverings in public setting where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

• Older people and those with health conditions that mean they have a higher chance of getting seriously ill should avoid close-contact situations as much as possible.

For more information about coronavirus disease 2019 and Wyoming, visit:

https://health.wyo.gov/publichealth/infectious-disease-epidemiology-unit/disease/novel-coronavirus/.