By Laurel Mallory | April 28, 2020 at 8:27 PM EDT – Updated April 28 at 10:08 PM
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – To help track the spread of the coronavirus in South Carolina, the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has released an updated list of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and similar places where people have confirmed cases of the virus.
Across the state, 62 long-term care facilities have reported cases of COVID-19, according to the new list from DHEC.
A total of 595 patients and staff members at those facilities have tested positive for the virus. That’s about 10% of the state’s known cases.
So far, 44 deaths from the coronavirus have been associated with long-term care facilities. That’s about 23% of the total deaths in the state.
The facility that has reported the most cases and deaths is a nursing home in Columbia, according to DHEC data.
There have been 78 people infected at Midlands Health and Rehabilitation Center in Columbia. Seven people have died.
DHEC says its health officials have worked with long-term care facilities to track the virus and share information about preventing its spread.
If and when DHEC updates this list, this story will be updated.
These types of long-term care facilities are of concern because older adults who have chronic medical conditions are at the greatest risk of having serious complications from the coronavirus.
To help protect residents who live in nursing homes and other such health care facilities, Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all visitation to be stopped beginning March 13. That order is still in effect.
DHEC said it has worked with these facilities to implement “critical” measures to prevent spread of the virus, such as:
- reviewing infection control practices
- increasing testing of residents and staff
- grouping together residents with COVID-19 infection
Long-term care facilities are required to report positive coronavirus cases to DHEC. Once that happens, DHEC says a typical response includes:
- Frontline epidemiologists contact the facility to collect preliminary information about patients and staff.
- Frontline staff connect the facilities with DHEC Infection Preventionists who provide facility-specific consultations.
- Guidance is provided about how to assess possible exposures, restriction of activities, isolation and quarantine measures, appropriate use of personal protective equipment and disease monitoring in staff and patients to rapidly detect additional cases.
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