Unvaccinated workers in long-term care facilities are posing a threat to Utah’s most vulnerable. Cases are again rising inside nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
About six residents in long-term care are testing positive for COVID-19 statewide each day, according to state data, up from about one person per day just two months ago.
Tracy Frailey with the Tooele County Health Department said her biggest concern is low vaccination rates among employees of long-term care facilities.
“I’m very concerned just because they’re so vulnerable in these facilities,” she said, “so we’re doing everything we can.”
Frailey said health officials held a meeting with administrators of the five facilities in Tooele County in an attempt to educate and encourage more workers to get their shots.
A memory care center and a veterans home currently have the two largest outbreaks in Utah, each with 11 to 20 residents who’ve been infected.
Some facilities are implementing more restrictions once again. The Ridge Cottonwood and The Ridge Foothill are requiring staff and visitors to wear masks.
“We did take masks off for a certain amount of time,” said Klint Burningham, executive director of the Cottonwood location, “but then when we started to see the spike in cases here and the local community, that’s when we decided it’s probably the best decision to make for our residents, to make sure that they are safe.”
Burningham said the two locations have not had any COVID-19 cases in months. About 99% of their residents are vaccinated, according to Burningham. So are all staff members. About 90% of the staffers chose to get vaccinated on their own, and then the facilities made vaccinations mandatory.
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August 12, 2021 at 07:54AM
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Virus surges again in Utah's long-term care facilities, with many workers unvaccinated - KJZZ
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