In what’s become a tragic daily message, the Naugatuck Valley Health District reported Thursday that six more residents of Shelton nursing homes have died from COVID-19 related issues.
In all, Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Naugatuck, Seymour and Shelton have seen 39 COVID-19 related deaths, according to NVHD information released Thursday. Two people in Seymour have died.
Shelton has 37 deaths, the majority coming from nursing homes or assisted living facilities. The deaths reported by the NVHD represent about 10 percent of the COVID-19 related deaths statewide.
Oxford data is not collected by the NVHD. Oxford is in the Pomperaug Health District. The state listed Oxford as having 29 people who have tested positive for COVID-19.
The table below shows COVID-19 positive cases, negative cases and the number of deaths within the NVHD’s jurisdiction.
On Wednesday, the state Department of Health re-released a list of local nursing homes where residents have tested positive.
Locally, they are:
In Seymour:
Shady Knoll Health Center
In Shelton:
Apple Shelton Lakes
Bishop-Wicke Health and Rehabilitation
Gardner Heights Health Care Center
From the health district:
“As of 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2020, 129 (31%) of the 414 confirmed cases among Valley residents, are individuals who currently reside in a nursing home, assisted living facility, group home, or other similar setting.”
Public health officials and the nursing homes have not released more specific information, such as how many cases are in each nursing home or assisted living facility in Shelton, or a tally showing where the deaths are taking place.
Beth Bemis, vice-president of marketing & sales operations for United Methodist Homes, is the only nursing home official to return a Valley Indy email this week seeking information about what’s happening in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
United Methodist Homes operates Bishop Wicke Health and Rehabilitation, which is part of the Wesley Villages communities in Shelton.
“Our nursing teams are working closely with CT DPH (state department of health) and our preferred provider hospitals (Yale Health System, Griffin, Hartford Healthcare) to coordinate our response to COVID. In conjunction with DPH, any suspected or confirmed cases of COVID have been case managed by our infection control team, medical director and hospital partners. All have been very responsive in caring for those in need,” Bemis said in an email April 6.
She said she could not disclose the number of patients who have tested positive due to federal privacy laws governing healthcare.
Nursing homes and similar facilities have been put under strict rules that prohibit visitors in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bemis said Wesley Village staff has been “finding new ways to maintain connections with each other and their families,” including bringing in college students to help with telecommunication. She also mentioned several other positive things happening. Her statement can be viewed by clicking here and scrolling to the end of the page.
In an interview April 7, Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti said the situation falls under the jurisdiction of the state health experts.
“The issue in Shelton is certainly the assisted living, the nursing homes, and the convalescent homes. That’s where all of the activity is, the vast majority of it.”
Lauretti said he did not think nursing homes and the like were able to handle the virus once it was inside.
“I don’t think they had the medical resources to deal with it. And that’s the problem. That’s my sense of it,” Lauretti said.
The mayor said he sees his role as staying out of the way of the medical professionals in Shelton and not interfering with what they’re doing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The complete statement issued April 9 from the NVHD is embedded below. The article continues after the document.
NVHD COVID-19 Case Update – April 9 2020 by The Valley Indy on Scribd
On Wednesday, April 8, SEIU 1199 New England, the largest healthcare union in Connecticut, held a press conference online about the dangers their members are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The union shared photos of a Connecticut nursing home worker last month wearing garbage bags as personal protective equipment.
Click here to read the story as reported by The CT Mirror.
The complete press conference is embedded below.
Gov. Ned Lamont and state health officials are planning to open nursing homes that will care exclusively for COVID-19 positive patients. There has been no information shared about what that means locally.
According to an online tracker from Johns Hopkins University, about 16,500 people have died from COVID-19 related issues. About 25,600 have recovered.
Click here for a Valley Indy podcast on how to deal with stress caused by the virus.
Click here for more tips on how to deal with stress and anxiety.
The latest press conference from Gov. Ned Lamont is embedded below:
