Area continues to be generous with food donations
Testing for COVID-19 was completed on residents and staff at Sundale Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care in Morgantown.
And there have been no new cases of the novel coronavirus since the end of last week, said Carl Shrader, Sundale’s medical director who is also a WVU Medicine physician.
“This is Day 8,” since the first patient was diagnosed, he said.
Sundale still has 21 residents who have tested positive for the virus. Shrader said 17 are being kept in isolation at Sundale, while three are in J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and one is in Mon Health Medical Center. Eight Sundale employees are positive for the virus and remain self-quarantined in their homes.
“We’ve had two deaths here since Friday and neither were related to COVID,” Shrader said.
As of Monday afternoon, there are 31 cases of COVID-19 in the county, according to the state Department of Health and Human Resources. Neighboring Marion County health officials announced Sunday an 88-year-old female died from the coronavirus, the state’s first such death.
A Sundale resident, who tested positive, has since recovered at a local hospital and has returned to the facility.
Shrader said 17 Sundale residents with the virus are being treated with medications and are being kept in isolation. Staff is also taking residents’ temperature every four hours and their hands are sanitized every eight hours, he said. Staffers taking care of the COVID-19 residents are receiving additional financial compensation.
The average age of a Sundale resident is 85.
Both Sundale residents and employees are in good spirits. Shrader said the community continues to be generous with food donations and treats for residents and staff. In fact, Shrader’s press briefing Monday afternoon was delayed a couple of minutes so he could take delivery of 20 hot pretzels with dipping sauce from the Philly Pretzel Factory.
“They’re still hot, too,” the delivery person said.
Another positive sign is Sundale employees are getting better treatment at local businesses. Last week, however, several businesses refused to serve Sundale employees and ordered them to leave the premises.
There was an instance of one woman who tried to order food and the restaurant refused to deliver to Sundale. Also, a spouse of an employee had disinfectant wipes thrown at him at work. And some employees were refused transportation through ride shares or taxis.
“We know 25% of household contacts get COVID-19, meaning that if you’re in a household where someone gets a positive diagnosis, you have a 1 in 4 chance if you are living in the household,” said Dr. Lee Smith, executive director of the Monongalia County Health Department and county health officer.
But the good outweighs the bad, Sundale officials said.
Preston Memorial Hospital has offered sterile gowns and N-95 masks and the WVU School of Pharmacy plans to provide hand sanitizer to the residents. Also, residents are able to visit with their families through video conferences.
Delegate Barbara Evans Fleishauer of Monongalia County organized “Cookies for Sundale” to provide treats for employees.
“We should be so grateful for the Sundale staffers for continuing to do their job,” she said. “If we want to halt this outbreak, we need to make sure everyone at Sundale has all that they need. We don’t want staff to quit because they are being blamed or stigmatized.”
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