VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – At least five long-term care facilities or nursing homes in Volusia County have reported numerous coronavirus infections in staff and residents. The latest is a New Smyrna Beach retirement center that now has 26 cases between residents and staff, according to the Florida Department of Health.
There are more than 2,800 COVID-19 positive residents and 4,922 staff at long-term care and assisted-living facilities statewide, according to the Florida Department of Health.
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Those figures now include outbreaks at five facilities in Volusia County:
Bishop’s Glen Retirement Center has 15 residents who are COVID-19 positive and 11 staff at its New Smyrna Beach location.
Ocean View Nursing and Rehab Center has reported 19 residents with the virus, six positive residents who have been transferred and three staff.
University East Rehabilitation Center has reported 18 residents, eight staff and four residents who have been transferred.
Opis Coquine Center in Ormond Beach has transferred 41 infected residents to other facilities and reported 14 staff with COVID-19.
Sunrise Community of Northeast Florida reported 10 cases of positive residents on July 3 but is no longer listed on the state database, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Bishop’s Glen became the latest facility with a reported outbreak. Joe Hager, an administrator for the New Smyrna Beach nursing home and rehabilitation center, confirmed to News 6 that a group of residents and staff tested positive for the virus.
“Unfortunately, there has been a surge of positive COVID cases throughout Florida and now in Volusia County. Regretfully, a group of residents and staff have tested positive,” Hager said. “We immediately implemented isolation protocols of our residents and sent any positive tested staff member home to recover. Further, any resident that becomes symptomatic will be sent to acute care for treatment.”
Hager said many of the residents and staff are asymptomatic.
With 46 as of Friday, Volusia County makes up 2% of the 2,055 deaths associated with long-term care facilities during the pandemic, according to the DOH. More than half of Florida’s more than 4,200 COVID-19 deaths have been tied to long-term care and assisted-living centers.