VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Dozens of residents and nearly 20 employees at a Virginia Beach nursing home recently tested positive for COVID-19.
13News Now talked with a man whose family member is a resident at the center. He shared emails updates with us from the center's administrator about the outbreak.
The facility is Sentara's Nursing and Rehabilitation Center off Rosemont Road.
The man, a Virginia Beach resident, asked to stay anonymous. He fears retaliation against his family member, who he said he hasn’t hugged since March.
"My worry is they have been so lax with everything. What are they doing now to keep her safe?” the man said.
He shared an email update from the center's administrator from September 28. It said 40 residents and 10 employees tested positive for COVID.
Another email from the center on September 30 reported a total of 19 employees had tested positive.
"I think there is eight out of the entire wing ... that tested negative,” he said. “They moved all of those people to the east side of the building."
Nursing home facilities are following state health department guidelines. They test staff and residents frequently to help identify anyone asymptomatic.
"They did say the Virginia Department of Health was in there yesterday to try and get the outbreak under control,” he said.
The email updates include the center's quarantine protocols and mitigation strategies.
The September 30 update details that staff are sanitizing COVID units with high ultraviolet beams. It said Sentara is working to get negative pressure rooms in the facility and that VDH is visiting on October 2.
"Given the magnitude of what is going on over there, I think they owe it to us to let us know every day,” the man said.
He worries positive cases will continue to climb and hopes his family member stays healthy.
When we asked Sentara to confirm the cases reported in recent emails to families, their media spokesperson Dale Gauding instead told us what safety measures are in place including weekly testing, isolating positive residents, and disinfecting.
“Sentara Life Care is using all approved measures to prevent exposure to COVID-19 and limit the spread. We are testing weekly as required in this region, isolating positive residents and disinfecting the facility with state-of-the-art techniques including ultraviolet light. We are communicating with the Virginia and Virginia Beach Departments of Health and keeping all resident families up to date. This is a vulnerable population and we are following all federal and state guidelines to ensure the health and safety of our residents and staff,” Gauding said.
Sentara September 28, 2020 letter:
Sentara September 30, 2020 letter: