A COVID-19 outbreak at a long term care facility in the Roanoke region has killed six people over the past week.
Some details about the outbreak at Raleigh Court Health and Rehabilitation in Roanoke were disclosed Tuesday during a weekly conference call with reporters in the Roanoke City-Alleghany Health District.
Doctor Thomas Kerkering did not name the facility but said four residents had died there in the past week. On its website, however, Raleigh Court Health and Rehab said 50 patients and 27 staff members have tested positive. A statement to media outlets later Tuesday said six deaths had occurred.
Kerkering said a second round of testing was being conducted Tuesday. "When there is an outbreak in a long term care facility, you have your initial testing and if there is found to be an outbreak or a number of positives then you do weekly until the numbers come down," Kerkering explained. The initial testing was conducted on September 2nd. The four deaths attributed to the outbreak bring the total for the Roanoke City-Alleghany District to 41. Two other deaths not related to the outbreak were also reported in the past week.
Kerkering said infection control practices appear to be working. He also said staff members do not work at other facilities, so there’s no concern about the virus spreading to other locations.
The outbreak is one of nine active outbreaks in the health district that covers the Roanoke Valley and parts of the Alleghany Highlands. The outbreaks have resulted in 75 to 100 individual cases, Kerkering said. There were a total of 161 active cases in the district as of Tuesday morning. That's down significantly from the previous week. A case is considered active when a patient is still in the 14-day isolation period.
Kerkering is an infectious disease expert at Carilion Clinic and has been filling in for Doctor Molly O'Dell, who has been on vacation.
