MORGANTOWN — Sundale Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care in Morgantown reported its second COVID-19 related death Wednesday afternoon.
Carl Shrader, Sundale medical director and WVU Medicine physician, said the female resident, who was in her 80s, was in the intensive care unit at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital where she died Tuesday evening. This is the second novel coronavirus death of a Sundale resident. The first occurred April 3 and the 76-year-old male resident was also in ICU at Ruby.
Shrader said both residents had underlying health issues.
The Monongalia County Health Department confirmed the death is related to COVID, though it is not yet reflected in the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources statistics regarding the virus. There are four confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the state, excluding the most recent Sundale death.
The Sundale death follows an announcement made Tuesday that all of the residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 were positive on a retest this week. All patients will be re-tested early next week, said Shrader, adding two more residents have now tested positive for the virus.
One Sundale resident who tested positive is hospitalized in Ruby.
“We’re hoping they continue to shed the virus,” he said.
In addition, 10 staff members remain in quarantine, including nine who tested positive the first time. Three employees of the Odyssey Therapy Group, which works with Sundale residents, also tested positive for COVID-19.
The positive residents remain in isolation at Sundale, away from the other residents. The residents are in good spirits and are aware they have the virus.
“They watch the news,” Shrader said.
The positive residents also remain active despite being in isolation. Donna Tennant, Sundale’s admissions and marketing director, purchased a bullhorn so residents can play bingo and not have to leave their rooms.
“They also sing,” Shrader said.
To protect employees, Shrader said a decontamination area has been built on the facility’s first floor where the COVID-19 residents are staying. In areas blocked off by plastic sheets, workers are able to discard personal protection equipment and disinfect themselves.
According to the state Department of Health and Human Resources, there are 68 confirmed cases of the virus in Monongalia County. As of Wednesday, there are 462 confirmed cases in West Virginia out of a total of 12,545 tests for an infection rate of 3.69%.
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