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Assisted living facility in Lancaster reports several deaths from coronavirus

An ambulance worker adjusts her protective mask as she wheels a stretcher into a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Kirkland, Wash. Health officials reported two cases of COVID-19 virus connected to the Life Care Center of Kirkland. One is a Life Care worker, a woman in her 40s who is in satisfactory condition at a hospital, and the other is a woman in her 70s and a resident at Life Care who is hospitalized in serious condition. Neither have traveled out of the country.

 Elaine Thompson / AP Photo

An ambulance worker adjusts her protective mask as she wheels a stretcher into a nursing facility where more than 50 people are sick and being tested for the COVID-19 virus, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in Kirkland, Wash. Health officials reported two cases of COVID-19 virus connected to the Life Care Center of Kirkland. One is a Life Care worker, a woman in her 40s who is in satisfactory condition at a hospital, and the other is a woman in her 70s and a resident at Life Care who is hospitalized in serious condition. Neither have traveled out of the country.

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An assisted living home in Lancaster has reported six of its residents have died over the last two days apparently due to the coronavirus.

Mennonite Home Communities reported the death of two residents at its facility today. The organization said one patient had tested positive for the coronavirus and the other patient was presumed positive for COVID-19. The home said the two residents who died on Monday had underlying health conditions.

The news comes a day after the facility announced four residents had died at the home and had tested positive for the virus, according to its website.

“Our hearts and prayers are with the family members of these residents during this difficult time,” the website read.

Since March 26, the facility has been struggling with the coronavirus outbreak. Between March 26 and April 4, there were reports of 18 Mennonite Home residents who had tested positive for the coronavirus and nine staff members. Additionally, three residents at Woodcrest Villa — the residential living at the facility — and two staff also tested positive.

Between Sunday and Monday, the facility reported eight staff members and two residents at Mennonite Home, and one staff member from the Woodcrest Villa have tested positive.

Throughout the pandemic, Mennonite Home has said it has been working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to try to contain the spread of the virus. It said on its Sunday update that it has received support from the Department of Health, leading nursing home and hospital associations, a public health specialist with the Bureau of Epidemiology, local and state health departments, as well as medical experts to “manage the spread of exposure.”

On March 31, it announced the steps it would be taking to reduce the spread of the virus. It canceled all non-essential visitation and screens all visitors at the entrance to the facility; deliveries are being made for food, mail, news and trash pickup; housekeeping and transit to the grocery stores are canceled; staff are checked before and after shifts for any symptoms; staff are asked to wear masks at all times; residents are being called daily for wellness checks; and more daily programming has been added to the house channel to assist with the social isolation.

Since March 25, the website has provided continuous updates on the status of the retirement home and has said it will continue to update throughout the pandemic.


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