HARTFORD, CT — Nursing homes continued to account for 62% of all the coronavirus-related fatalities in Connecticut through May 27, and assisted living facilities accounted for 8.5%, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Public Health.
The data, which was gathered as of May 27, also shows that nursing homes deaths slowed to their lowest level since mid-April. However, cases were still up 447 over the prior week. There have been a total of 8,322 nursing home patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to state data.
The number of nursing home residents who died this week was 208, which is down slightly from the 263 deaths the prior week.
The number of nursing homes with at least one COVID-19 positive patient jumped from 165 a week ago to 167. There are 215 nursing homes in Connecticut.
Last week there were 306 deaths – or 8.41% – associated with assisted living facilities. This week it’s 327 deaths. As of Friday, a total of 1,007 individuals in assisted living facilities had tested positive. That’s up from 973 the previous week.
The nursing homes with the highest number of positive patients include Arden House in Hamden, with 170, followed by Riverside Health and Rehab Center in East Hartford with 152; Litchfield Woods in Torrington, with 127; and St. Joseph’s Center in Trumbull and the Silver Springs Care Center in Meriden, with 121 each, according to DPH.
Riverside Health and Rehab Center in East Hartford reported 57 COVID-19 deaths, followed by Kimberly Hall North in Windsor and Abbott Terrace Health Center of Waterbury, with 44 each; and Shady Knoll Health Center in Seymour, with 40, according to DPH.
Mag Morelli, president of LeadingAge Connecticut, Matthew Barrett, president and CEO of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, and Christopher Carter, president of CALA, said this week’s report shows that areas of high population density and COVID-19 presence, like Connecticut, will see a corresponding prevalence of COVID-19 in congregate settings, such as nursing home and assisted living communities.
“We continue to believe that our state’s efforts to combat COVID-19 are moving in the right direction. We are the near completion of the point prevalence survey testing of all nursing home residents and will soon be launching widespread employee testing – all part of a comprehensive plan to further curb the spread of the virus,” the trio said in a joint statement.
“We have continuously modified the normal infection control concepts as we learn more about the disease, and we are cautiously optimistic as we witness more and more residents recovering,” they added.
The state has moved forward with a plan to test all nursing home residents, but have left the testing of nursing home staff up to the individual homes and private operators.