In West Hartford, deaths among nursing homes residents represent 80% of the town’s total number of fatalities.

Lisandra Marshall-McIntosh, food service director at Kimberly Hall North, waves to supporters as they show their support for health care workers at the skilled nursing facility with a drive-through tribute Tuesday afternoon. The facility has been particularly hard hit with the COVID-19 virus with over 40 deaths since late March. Photo credit: Cloe Poisson, CTMirror.org

By Keith M. Phaneuf and Jenna Carlesso, CTMirror.org

West Hartford-specific information provided by Ronni Newton, We-Ha.com

While coronavirus-related deaths among Connecticut nursing home residents rose 30% over the past week, that’s the slowest growth rate in nearly a month, according to new data released late Thursday by Gov. Ned Lamont.

COVID-19 infection totals among nursing home residents also grew more slowly since April 29, while cases among assisted living facilities actually declined, the administration also reported. It did not report coronavirus-related death totals among assisted living facility residents, despite earlier statements that it would do so Thursday.

The administration did announce Thursday that it would accelerate efforts to test all residents and staff in each of Connecticut’s 213 nursing homes.

“We have been constrained since the beginning of this pandemic by test kits and supplies, and more recently, we’ve started to get more supplies and we’ve been able to increase the amount of testing we’ve been doing,” said Josh Geballe, Lamont’s chief operating officer. “As recently as this past weekend, we’re now sending teams into our nursing homes to test everyone, whether they’re symptomatic or asymptomatic.”

The latest report showed that 1,627 nursing home residents who tested positive or displaying COVID-19 symptoms have died. That’s up 30% from last week’s report.

But deaths among nursing home residents had risen 63% in the previous weekly report, which compiled data through April 29. They had risen by 105% in the week ending April 22, and by 76% through April 9.

Riverside Health & Rehabilitation in East Hartford has recorded the most fatalities, with 47, according to the latest report. Kimberly Hall North in Windsor has now logged a total of 40 deaths, and Abbott Terrace in Waterbury had 38.

Confirmed cases among nursing home residents grew at a much slower rate over the past week, up 25%, from 4,814 to 6,008 positive tests. But the weekly growth rate was 41% on April 29, 100% on April 22, and 186% on April 9.

In West Hartford, 145 residents at five nursing homes have tested positive for COVID-19, 20 more than reported a week ago. That represented 41.2% of the town’s total reported cases (which were 352 on Wednesday). There have been 52 deaths among nursing home residents, 80% of the town’s total as of Wednesday.

Columns (from left) indicate the number of beds, number of laboratory-confirmed cases, number of laboratory-confirmed deaths, and number of probable deaths in West Hartford nursing homes.

The Lamont administration has struggled throughout the pandemic to track its full impact on the elderly in specialized facilities.

Initial reports understated the spread for two reasons. Local health officials initially didn’t disclose to their state counterparts the untested seniors who’d displayed COVID-19 symptoms before dying. And Lamont didn’t order assisted living facilities, which house more than 5,400 elderly tenants, to report coronavirus cases and fatalities until April 23. The first report, issued April 30, listed infection totals but not coronavirus-related deaths.

Thursday’s report was just the second to track infections among residents of assisted living centers. Administration officials said they did not release the number of deaths in those facilities because they were still working to ensure the data was accurate.

Health officials “intended to report those figures in today’s report but needed more time to ensure uniform and accurate data was collected from assisted living facilities,” said Max Reiss, Lamont’s spokesman. “The goal is to get those figures reported to the public next week.”

Data for West Hartford indicated two assisted living facilities had residents with laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. Brookdale Chatfield, which reported two cases last week, now has three. Hoffman SummerWood, which did not appear on last week’s report, indicated five residents who had tested positive. There are no suspected but unconfirmed cases as either facility according to date released Thursday.

After reporting 662 cases – involving either positive tests or patients displaying COVID-19 symptoms – in these centers one week ago, state health officials found 506 cases through May 6. That’s a decline of  nearly 24%.

Waveny LifeCare Network & The Village at Waveny Care Center in New Canaan recorded the most confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases among assisted living facilities, with 45. That figure represents 54% of its resident population.

The Village at Buckland Court in South Windsor logged 40 suspected and confirmed cases, accounting for 41% of its residents. And Bethel Health Care & The Cascades in Bethel had 39 confirmed and suspected cases, representing 28% of its population.

Other facilities recorded lower overall numbers but a higher percentage of coronavirus cases. Jewish Senior Services in Bridgeport logged 22 cases – but they account for 81% of residents at the home.

Assisted living centers serve residents age 55 and older who need some health, nursing care, or other assistance with daily living activities, but not necessarily the skilled care provided by a nursing home. Technically the state doesn’t license assisted living facilities, but rather the medical agencies that serve their residents.

These medical agencies must regularly assess residents’ health conditions and refer them to appropriate medical providers when necessary. A registered nurse must be on call 24 hours a day.

While infection spread continues to slow among the elderly in specialized facilities, it remains a large part of Connecticut’s overall COVID-19 caseload.

The 1,627 deaths among nursing home residents represents 58% of the 2,797 fatalities recorded through May 6.

“The newly released data show that the deadly virus still has hold on our Connecticut nursing homes,” leaders of the state’s two largest nursing home association wrote Thursday in a joint statement. “As such, our nursing home operators and employees won’t be letting up until the virus is defeated.”

Matthew V. Barrett, president of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, and Mag Morelli, president of LeadingAge Connecticut, added that “the statewide testing of all nursing home residents and the improved availability of [personal protective equipment] on the immediate horizon will strengthen these efforts. … These measures together hold a promise for better outcomes in the weeks ahead, but we are not able to say we are there yet.”

The association representing assisted living medical service agencies did not comment.

Reprinted with permission of The Connecticut Mirror. The author can be reached at [email protected] [email protected].

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