The first cases of the COVID-19 Coronavirus in a longterm care facility were announced this morning by Officials with the Buncombe County Health and Human Services.
The two affected living centers are the Aston Park Health Center and the Deerfield Retirement Episcopal Skilled Nursing Home.
Many long term care facilities across the state have been effected by the COVID-19 virus.
You can see the full release from BCDHHS below.
"Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) has announced the first cases of lab-confirmed COVID-19 associated with long-term care facilities in Buncombe County.
Based on guidance from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS), BCHHS will provide the names of facilities who have two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Similar to reported cases of COVID-19, our counts of cases and deaths connected to these outbreaks may differ from state counts due to delays in reporting, timing of investigations and residency status of residents or staff.
To avoid conflicting data, BCHHS will rely on NC DHHS for public reporting of the COVID-19 case counts.
Data from NC DHHS is updated on Tuesdays and Fridays at 4 p.m. and can befound here. The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services considers an outbreak of COVID-19 in a congregate care facility to be two or more cases in one facility.
Congregate Living Settings with Active COVID-19 Outbreak (as of May 13, 2020)
·Aston Park Health Care Center
·Deerfield Retirement Episcopal Skilled Nursing Home
Despite facilities’ robust efforts to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 among staff and residents, outbreaks in long-term care facilities continue to occur throughout North Carolina and the United States.
Buncombe County Public Health is actively conducting contact tracing and coordinating with the facility to assist with testing, reviewing control measures, and supporting with testing supplies and guidance to ensure a rapid and appropriate response.
In anticipation of more cases in these facilities in Buncombe County, the Buncombe County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) prioritized preparation and support for long term care facilities in the very beginning with our community response planning efforts and outreach strategy and stand ready to assist these facilities with testing and mitigation efforts.
“The Emergency Operations Center continues to work diligently with NC Emergency Management and the Regional Healthcare Coalition to procure PPE and help these facilities get the resources they need,” -Buncombe County Emergency Services Director, Taylor Jones."