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Poquoson nursing home sees number of coronavirus cases triple within a week

Daily Press - 12/1/2020

A nursing home in Poquoson is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases which have tripled in the past seven days.

Bayside Nursing Home on Vantage Drive has reported 50 positive cases, which includes both patients and staff, Virginia Department of Health spokesman Bernard Hill said Tuesday. Last week, the 60-bed facility reported it had 14 positive cases.

Prior to Nov. 25, the numbers were flat with minor fluctuations since April, as shown on an outbreak graph from the state health department website, which updates its numbers weekly.

The health department created the site to comply with a new state law that requires officials to report outbreaks of communicable diseases that are a public health threat at any medical care facility, residential or day program, or any licensed or operated state agency, school or summer camp.

Two or more laboratory-confirmed cases within a 14-day incubation period at a long-term care facility is considered an outbreak. An outbreak status is considered closed after 28 days have passed without any new confirmed cases.

Alan Cosby, a spokesman with Atlanta-based Trio Healthcare LLC, Bayside’s parent company, did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The number of coronavirus cases have been increasing in Poquoson over the past 23 days, according to state health.

In the past three days, Poquoson’s positivity rate has decreased, based on a seven-day moving average, and was at 5% as of Tuesday, compared to 7.1% last week. It generally has been considered as a fluctuating rate because it is under the 14-day threshold, state health officials said.

Overall, outbreaks also have increased in the past 19 days, as has the percentage of health care workers testing positive for the virus.

Marc Fortunato, a friend of the daughter of a Bayside resident, said the family learned Sunday the woman had contracted coronavirus.

“Up until that point it was only 10 people, but all of sudden it had jumped up to 40 by Sunday. The whole thing overnight turned into a nightmare,” Fortunato said.

Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-247-4832, lvernonsparks@dailypress.com

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