Partly Cloudy, 77°
Weather sponsored by:

Clay’s long-term care facilities hit hard by COVID-19

Nearly have the cases, 9 deaths come from area’s nursing, assisted living homes

Clay Today
Posted 4/29/20

CLAY COUNTY – Nine of Clay County's 15 reported deaths from COVID-19 were associated with long-term care facilities.

Overall, 273 have been infected by the novel coronavirus, including a newly …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Don't have an ID?


Print subscribers

If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.

Non-subscribers

Click here to see your options for subscribing.

Single day pass

You also have the option of purchasing 24 hours of access, for $1.00. Click here to purchase a single day pass.

Clay’s long-term care facilities hit hard by COVID-19

Nearly have the cases, 9 deaths come from area’s nursing, assisted living homes


Posted

CLAY COUNTY – Nine of Clay County's 15 reported deaths from COVID-19 were associated with long-term care facilities.

As of Thursday night, 273 have been infected by the novel coronavirus, including a 6-year-old.

Nearly half – 132 – are patients, visitors or employees of long-term care facilities. Nine of the dead, including 93-year-old woman who died April 20 but wasn’t added to the state’s report until April 27, are affiliated with local long-term care centers.

Long-term care facilities in Clay County that have reported positive cases include: Allegro on Fleming Island (one case), Brookdale Orange Park (one case), Diamond Assisted Living and Memory in Green Cove Springs (17 total cases), Governors Creek Health and Rehabilitation in Green Cove Springs (46 total cases), Heathland Health Care Center in Orange Park (41 total cases), Seagrass Village of Fleming Island (eight total cases), Life Care Center at Wells Crossing (one case), Life Health Care Center of Orange Park (one case), Signature Healthcare of Orange Park (one case) and Isle Health and Rehabilitation Center on Fleming Island one case).

Forty-six of the 132 are employees of the facilities, including 15 at Governors Creek.

The highest concentration of cases is in the Orange Park area where 78 people have been reported to be infected in the 32073 zip code.

All but two of the infected are residents. The Florida Health Department reported 163 of the patients are women and 108 are men. The sex of other patients hasn't been reported.

The dead include: seven men, ages 70, 82, 65, 54, 76, 75,54 and 79; and seven women, ages 68, 77, 92, 91, 77, 85 and 93.

Because numbers are reported at different times from a variety of sources, the state is constantly updating and correcting its figures.

The ages of the infected range from 6 to 95. Sixty-three have required hospitalization; the rest are in self-quarantine.

In response, three test collection sites now are open in Clay County.

Palms Medical Group in Orange Park (904-688-3000), Aza Heath in Green Cove Springs (904-284-5904) and Keystone Heights (352-473-6595) and CareSpot Middleburg (904-406-8240) and Orange Park (904-213-0600) are seeing patients, insured and non-insured, who exhibit symptoms of the coronavirus. Clay County residents also can be tested at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order requiring any “non-essential” workers to stay home until the virus threat has subsided. And he ordered cars to be stopped on highways from New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Louisiana with orders that all visitors be quarantined for 14 days.

The governor also suspended vacation rentals and ordered hotels, campgrounds, RV parks and rentals not to honor reservations from “non-essential” guests until at least until the end of April.

As of Thursday night, 33,690 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Florida. The state’s death toll stands at 1,268.