Vermont reports multiple cases of coronavirus at Burlington nursing facility

The Health Department reported 16 new cases of the COVID-19 on Saturday, including seven at a nursing care center where a resident on Thursday became one of the first of two Vermont deaths from the disease.

Burlington Health & Rehabilitation Center has been following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on treatment and isolation of COVID-19 patients since March 16, according to a Health Department news release.

The ages of newly announced patients who tested positive for the coronavirus range from the 20s to older than 80.

The governor announced on Thursday two patients who had tested positive for the new coronavirus had died, including a 95-year-old woman who was a resident of the nursing facility.

“Unfortunately, this new coronavirus can be very serious, especially for vulnerable Vermonters, and we have seen long-term care facilities across the country struggle to contain the virus,” Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said in a news release.

More: What are Vermont nursing facilities doing to protect elderly residents from coronavirus?

The new coronavirus causes COVID-19 which first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and breathing trouble. Most develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.

Taking steps at Burlington Health and Rehab

The Health Department said it was giving priority to testing patient and health care workers at Burlington rehab who were showing symptoms of the disease.

Burlington rehab is also checking the temperature of all staff before they enter the building and having employees who show symptoms to stay home, the department said.

The Health Department has dispatched epidemiologists to the nursing facility and issued updated guidance for all long-term care facilities statewide with known cases of COVID-19.

Plan for Residents

If a long-term care facility resident tests positive, they will remain at the facility, unless they require hospitalization.

If residents are symptomatic or otherwise ineligible to be released, they will remain at the long-term care facility, unless they require hospitalization.

If residents are asymptomatic and eligible for discharge, the resident will be discharged and quarantined for 14 days.

Residents that have been discharged in the last 14 days will be contacted and urged to quarantine.

Plan for Staff

If staff test positive or are symptomatic, they must return or stay at home and follow these CDC recommendations. These recommendations include instructions on when isolation can be discontinued.

Employees of the long term care facility will be restricted from entering other long term care facilities or communal settings with groups at higher risk for COVID-19.

The facility will assess all employees’ risk of exposure and exclude employees from work for 14 days after their last exposure, if appropriate.

Continued use of stringent personal protective equipment and access control measures with twice a day temperature checks.

Other cases

The seven positives test cases at Burlington Health and Rehab are:

Female in her 60’s. Not hospitalized.

Female in her 70’s. Not hospitalized.

Female over the age of 80. Not hospitalized.

Female over the age of 80. Not hospitalized.

Male in his 70’s. Not hospitalized.

Male in his 70’s. Not hospitalized.

Female in her 70’s. Not hospitalized.

The other new positive test cases are:

Male in his 30’s. Chittenden County resident. Not hospitalized.

Female in her 40’s. Chittenden County resident. Not hospitalized.

Female in her 20’s. Chittenden County resident. Not hospitalized.

Male over the age of 80. Franklin County resident. Hospitalized at Northwestern Vermont Medical Center.

Male in his 70’s, Addison County resident. Not hospitalized.

Male in his 70’s, Windsor County resident. Not hospitalized.

Male over the age of 80, Franklin County resident, Hospitalized at Northwestern Vermont Medical Center.

Female in her 30’s. Windsor County resident. Not hospitalized.

Female in her 50’s. Windham County resident. Hospitalized at Cheshire Medical Center.

Tracking the coronavirus: An interactive map tracking COVID-19

On Saturday, the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans tested announced two people tested positive for COVID-19.

"As these are our first known positive cases in our community, we are providing you this information. Out of respect for patient privacy, no further patient information on these cases will be shared at this time," the hospital wrote in a news release posted on Saturday.

The number of positive tests reported by the Health Department total 49 out of 978 people tested as of Saturday.

Aki Soga is engagement and insights editor for the Burlington Free Press. Email him at asoga@freepressmedia.com, or chat with him on Twitter: @asoga.