SAN DIEGO — Outside the Reo Vista Healthcare Friday on Banbury Street in Paradise Hills, employees were taking out trash, dressed in head-to-toe protective gear. The center has had 112 residents and 33 staff members test positive for COVID-19, making it currently California's largest senior care outbreak.
"They are breeding grounds for this, so it's very important that all skilled nursing facilities as they have to work with state and health departments to come up with plans to help mitigate," said Dr. Andy Dang, Medical Director of Quality and Population Health for Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group.
A statement from Reo Vista Administrator Curtis White read in part:
"Six residents did pass away. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and loved ones. Four other residents are currently hospitalized in stable condition. The remaining residents who tested positive for COVID-19 are isolated at the facility with mild symptoms."
Reo Vista's website said it is a five-star, Medicare-certified full in-house rehabilitation facility with 159 beds.
The high COVID-19 case count is only one of three recent community outbreaks in San Diego County. Others were in a business and restaurant. 461 new cases were reported for a total of over 18,800 as of Friday.
Dang highlighted the heatwave and weekend social outings as possible threats for virus spread.
"It's hard for people to wear a mask, especially outside, and when it's really hot and gets humid, it’s harder to breathe. People get together indoors. They're not socially distancing. They're not wearing a mask, so that becomes a cluster for contagion, and you can pass the virus from one to another and that's what we're seeing,” Dang said.
Although the elderly may be more vulnerable to coronavirus, younger patients aged 20-29 still make up the largest number of local positive cases.
“So, don't just think about age. It's better to think about other co-morbid conditions and chronic illness,” Dang said.
Management at Reo Vista Healthcare Center stated testing for all staff and residents has been conducted weekly, and all those infected with COVID-19 will be kept in isolation until they have fully recovered.