4 new COVID-19 outbreaks reported at south Charlotte senior facilities

Mecklenburg County health officials reported seven new COVID-19 outbreak sites this week, including four senior living facilities located in south Charlotte.

A total of 36 local congregate living facilities — which includes childcare centers, group homes, the Mecklenburg County jail, nursing homes and senior living centers — have active coronavirus outbreaks, the health department says. According to state health officials, two or more laboratory-confirmed cases are considered an outbreak in a congregate living setting.

Added to the county’s list Tuesday were: Huntersville Health and Rehabilitation Center, Elmcroft Assisted Living, Charlotte Square, Brookdale Carriage Club-Providence, Brookdale South Charlotte-Rea Road, Bon Rea Group Home and Miller Group Home.

Three of the new locations this week reported cases among residents and staff members. Huntersville Health and Rehabilitation Center, according to state health officials, has reported five cases and one resident has died.

At Charlotte Square there were four cases as of Tuesday, with three residents and one staff member testing positive, Department of Health and Human Service records show. Elmcroft Assisted Living reported one case each from a resident and a staff member.

Two facilities have had outbreaks among staff members only.

At Brookdale Carriage Club-Providence, state health officials on Tuesday reported five employees tested positive. However, a spokeswoman, Heather Hunter, told the Observer on Wednesday all but one of those staff members have been cleared to return to work. The facility had previously informed its residents and their family members of the known cases, Hunter said.

At Brookdale South Charlotte-Rea Road, DHHS officials reported on Tuesday four staff member cases. But Hunter said those cases are old and that all staff members have since tested negative and been cleared to return to work.

Bon Rea Group Home and Miller Group home were reported as outbreak sites but DHHS did not disclose how many people there have tested positive.

Just more than half of all COVID-19 related deaths in Mecklenburg have been connected to congregate living facilities or long-term care centers, county health data show.

This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 12:00 PM.