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| Credit CDC PHIL |
#14,191
A few more details have emerged regarding the - as yet - unidentified respiratory illness outbreak at a long term care facility (LTCF) in Fairfax County, Virginia we've been following for several days (see here, and here).
In yesterday's blog I mentioned there had been no mention of illness among staff or visitors - only `residents'- which seemed a bit unusual to me.Late yesterday it was announced - that in addition to 63 residents - 19 staff have reported respiratory symptoms since this outbreak began. Although no new hospitalizations have been announced, a third death has been reported.
We have no information on the health of these three fatalities prior to their illness, but residents of LCTFs tend to be elderly or immunocompromised, and may be less likely to recover from any illness.
The CDC continues to work to identify the cause of this outbreak. As we discussed over the weekend, that can sometimes take days or even weeks, and even then, success isn't assured.Below you'll find yesterday's 3pm update from the Fairfax County Health Department.
Outbreak Investigation at Assisted Living Facility in Springfield
July 16, 2019
Update: July 16, 2019, 5:30 p.m.
The Health Department is now reporting a total of 63 individuals out of 263 residents in the assisted living and skilled nursing sections of Greenspring have become ill. No new hospitalizations have been reported, but there are now three deaths associated with the outbreak. The Health Department does not know the full medical history and the extent to which the respiratory illness contributed to the deaths.
Additionally, the Health Department has been informed that 19 employees have also reported symptoms of upper respiratory illness since the outbreak began on June 30. Results of testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are still pending.(Continue . . . )
