WATERVILLE – The Maine Center for Disease Control
An outbreak of COVID-19 in such services occurs when five or more people test positive, according to the CDC.
Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Thursday that the coronavirus is still there and “is going away. “
“That’s why it’s so vital that each of us take steps to restrict threats to our most vulnerable neighbors, adding to the enjoyed who live in long-term care facilities,” he said. “The arrival of the new bivalent is reminiscent in Maine gives each of us an additional way to help network members to the fullest in the face of the threat of hospitalization or death. “
Maine CDC spokesman Robert Long said in an email Thursday that the CDC has opened ongoing investigations at all 26 gyms. He showed that this number is an outbreak at Woodlands Senior Living in Waterville.
“Maine CDC has an open investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak related to Woodlands in Waterville,” Long said. “As of this morning, the outbreak has affected cases among 27 citizens and 4 members. “
Matthew Walters, one of the owners of several Woodlands care services in Maine, said in a phone interview that the outbreak spread across 3 areas of the 147 West River Road complex: assisted living, souvenir care and senior apartments known as Park Residences. In total, there are more than 124 citizens in Woodsville in Waterville. The outbreak has occurred in the last 3 or 4 weeks, he said.
“Every time we have more of the cases shown, we notify the CDC,” Walters said. “We send them a line directory twice a week with the number of people. “
When an outbreak occurs, citizens who test positive will have to quarantine in their rooms and deliver their food. Staff entering their rooms wear non-public protective equipment, add gowns, N95 mask and gloves, and check on citizens 4 times a week, according to Walters.
Services are not blocked, as was the case at the beginning of the pandemic when there was no vaccine or treatment, according to Walters, who said he did not believe the existing outbreak was an acute outbreak. Now, when other people are diagnosed with COVID-19, few are hospitalized and most are treated without problems, he said.
“It doesn’t create the point of anxiety I used to have,” he said.
Walters and his family circle own 15 separate authorized services in Maine at 10 sites and are most recently building one in Bridgeton that is expected to open Nov. 1, he said.
Residents confined to their rooms are having their major symptoms checked more than usual, and are receiving packages of activities that have been developed during the pandemic, according to Walters. He said this was a challenge for citizens and staff.
“In addition, we have very strict pre-staff protocols,” he said. “They want to register and answer questions about symptoms and close contacts. “
Staffing may be limited depending on whether or not they have bloodless symptoms, etc. , according to Walters.
“He definitely has that precautionary point that is obviously necessary. It takes into account the amount of on a given day. Fortunately, over the past month, we’ve had a limited number of workers test positive.
Whitney Draper, a Woodlands assisted resident in Waterville, said Thursday in a phone interview that when she tested positive for COVID-19 about two weeks ago, she had no symptoms, but he and other citizens who tested positive had to stay in their rooms for about a week and brought them food.
“It’s very difficult for citizens because you stay in your room for a week in total,” said Draper, 70. “Unfortunately, the residents are the ones who can’t go anywhere. They are locked up.
Draper, who has lived there for about five years, said he could now walk the halls but had to wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from others.
The dining room remains closed, according to Draper, who said that if he was looking to pass somewhere, he had to find his own means of transportation because the trips did not present the outbreak, which has also been complicated for staff, he said.
“If you go from 3 p. m. to 11 p. m. h. , it would be a NAC (certified practical nurse) or a medical technician, if the user who must enter after you get sick, must work a double shift,” Draper said. .
Walters said they are still allowed to enter the facility.
“It is no longer blocked, which is very useful for citizens and members of the family circle,” he said.
He said the pandemic is over.
“It’s not even close,” he said. The difference is the way it is treated and by that I mean we don’t close our doors. People can still come and go. Take a look at quarantine and other people who have it and if not, you work hard to make everything as general as possible.
Angela Westhoff, president and CEO of the Maine Health Care Association, whose club includes more than two hundred nursing homes and serviced apartments in the state, said those operations continue to face an unprecedented staffing shortage.
“In fact, they have been the hardest hit physical care sector during the pandemic,” Westhoff said Thursday in an email. “The COVID-19-related personnel crisis is having a lasting and far-reaching impact on Maine’s long-term. No one may have predicted the magnitude and duration of this public fitness emergency that has left long-term care providers on a long road to recovery.
Successful. Wait for the page to reload. If the page reloads within five seconds, refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to the comments.
Forgot your password?
Don’t have a comment profile? Create one.
Invalid username/password.
Please send your email to verify and complete your registration.
Create a feedback profile by providing an email address, password, and test call. You will receive an email to complete the registration. Note that the demo call will appear on the screen when you participate.
Already registered? Log in to register for the discussion.
Only subscribers can comment. Log in or log in first to gain virtual access. Here’s why.