Senior residents at Burbank health facility test positive for the coronavirus
A senior care facility in Burbank announced on Friday that several of its residents and a staff member have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Officials with the Alameda Care Center said one resident, a man who is over 65 years old, tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 at a nearby hospital after feeling ill. Several other residents and a staff member who were in contact with the man also tested positive for the virus, said Elizabeth Tyler, a spokeswoman for the care facility.
The man, who had “complex underlying medical issues,” was believed to have left the facility to visit his wife before falling ill.
Tyler would not disclose the number of the additional residents who tested positive for the coronavirus, only saying that those seniors affected are being cared for in isolation from everyone else. The employee was said to be self-isolating at home.
Other residents at the facility who thought they were in contact with those who tested positive for the coronavirus are being isolated in a different section of the center.
All other residents are being asked to self-quarantine in their respective rooms.
The Alameda Care Center is an 89-room assisted-living facility specializing in the care of those with dementia or other memory-related illnesses. About 70 seniors are currently living at the facility, Tyler said.
“There aren’t any shortages on medical supplies at the facility, and the staff is adapting around those that need to self-isolate,” Tyler said.
The facility has been in close contact with state and Los Angeles County health officials on a daily basis, and testing is being done in accordance with health guidelines, she added.
As of Friday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health had confirmed seven positive cases of the coronavirus in Burbank. Officials have identified 1,465 cases of the coronavirus and 26 deaths in the county.
Although there are multiple cases of those with the virus at the Alameda Care Center, Tyler said that the facility has yet to receive any requests from family members to pull their loved ones out of the center.
“I can understand the desire to bring your loved one home, but then, is that the best thing to do given the condition of the patient, and if they are being in a situation that puts others at risk?” she said.
While the likelihood of there being another positive case at the Alameda Care Center is high, Tyler said the staff members who are there are doing their best to keep everyone safe during the pandemic.
“They’re doing their jobs and taking care of the residents,” she said. “Some of these staff members are leaving their children and loved ones at home to come here and take care of the patients in the facility.”
