Nearly half of Mecklenburg’s COVID-19 deaths are connected to long-term care facilities
Twelve long-term care facilities in Mecklenburg County have outbreaks of coronavirus, meaning two or more confirmed cases of COVID-19, county public health director Gibbie Harris said Thursday.
That’s two more facilities since data on specific to long-term care facilities and nursing homes was first reported Monday by North Carolina health officials. And there have been seven additional deaths reported since then, connected to the facilities, Harris said.
Nearly half — 24 out of 49 — of the people who have died in Mecklenburg County from COVID-19 are connected to long-term care facilities, she said Thursday.
“This data is speaking to individuals that live in our community,” Harris said Thursday. “We’re talking about the loss of life. I want to make sure that families in this community who are grieving recognize the fact that we are grieving with you.”
The new facilities seeing COVID-19 outbreaks are Asbury Health and Rehab and Mint Hill Senior Living, Harris said.
Two staff members at Mint Hill Senior Living have tested positive for the coronavirus, but the employees self-quarantined and did not work with symptoms, according to a spokesman for Mint Hill. The facility’s residents have not shown symptoms of COVID-19, the Mint Hill facility said in a statement.
“The situation in our long-term care facilities continues to be and will always be a top priority for our department,” Harris said.
Earlier this week, the state Department of Health and Human Services released data, for the first time, that showed nearly half of the state’s 306 coronavirus-related deaths, as of Monday, came from nursing homes and residential care facilities.
As of Monday, ten of the people who have died in Mecklenburg County were residents of Autumn Care nursing home in Cornelius.
New data on the outbreaks in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, will be released by the state on Tuesdays and Fridays, officials have said.
Editor’s note: This story was updated May 1 to include a statement from Mint Hill Senior Living that no residents have tested positive for COVID-19.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 4:13 PM.
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