CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — A Concord nursing home that was battling an outbreak since April has announced that it has no coronavirus cases.
As of July 8, the Five Oaks Rehab said all residents and staff are free of COVID-19.
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In April, health officials reported there had been five COVID-19 related deaths at the nursing facility.
The Cabarrus Health Alliance launched an investigation at the Five Oaks Rehab after learning about the first coronavirus case at the facility.
According to CHA, 300 Five Oaks residents and staff were tested and 74 came back positive with five of them being staff members who do not live in the county.
Since testing was completed, officials said five people who were an average age of 88 have died with COVID-19 related symptoms.
“Our team is deeply saddened by these deaths and send our sincerest sympathies to their families and loved ones,” said Cabarrus Public Health Director Dr. Bonnie Coyle. “Unfortunately, this is an illustration of the impact this virus has on our most vulnerable population, our seniors. Even with stringent mitigation measures in place, the spread of this very contagious virus is hard to stop in congregant living facilities.”
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CHA is asking anyone who has had recent contact with Five Oaks Rehabilitation staff or residents to monitor for symptoms of fever (100.4 or higher), cough and shortness of breath. If you exhibit these symptoms, call your primary care provider. If you do not have a primary care provider, you can call the CHA Health Information Line at 704-920-1213.
Cabarrus County Health is conducting contact investigations for every case, and there are 218 confirmed cases of COVID-19, seven deaths and 82 recoveries in the county as of April 21.
“When I got a call saying your friend's being moved, it scared me for a minute,” said Tom Caudle. He’s still on edge 10 days since he first heard that dozens of residents of Five Oaks had tested positive for the coronavirus -- including his friend's roommate.
Then on Monday, he heard that five people had died from the virus, and his heart broke for their families.
“The sad part is that they can't be with their loved ones as they're dying,” caudle said. “You couldn't be with them, you couldn't hold their hand, you couldn't do anything. You can't even be there with them.”
The Cabarrus Health Alliance announced that 74 people at the facility have tested positive, including five staffers. They said the facility has voluntarily complied with the state safety recommendations, but family members still worry.
“Absolutely (I worry),” said Robin Hartsell, who has a relative in Five Oaks. “She has asthma and AFib, and contracted pneumonia in December.”
Hartsell has a family member who's been living at Five Oaks for years. That relative is currently in the hospital with COVID-19, in stable condition -- but Hartsell wonders if it will be safe for her to come back when she recovers.
“Are they going to continue testing and screening after the restrictions are lifted?” she asked. “And are they going to stay on top of some of the issues they’ve had like cleaning at the facility?”
Health officials report 67 cases of COVID-19 at Concord nursing facility
Health officials said Sunday there were 67 confirmed coronavirus cases at the Concord nursing facility.
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Channel 9′s Erin Edwards spoke to the administrator at the facility Sunday who said there was mass testing of residents and staff at the entire facility and Five Oaks is still waiting on more than half of those results.
Cabarrus Health Alliance said 300 Five Oaks residents and staff were tested and 190 tests are still pending.
The administrator said she does expect the rest of the results in the next few days.
Someone contacted Channel 9 and said they have a family member at the facility. They said they were not notified about the mass testing or positive cases.
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On Sunday, 49 new positive cases were reported in Cabarrus County, which health officials said it was the largest jump in cases so far.
Officials said more than half of those confirmed cases are residents at Five Oaks.
The administrator said one of the patients was taken to the hospital, but we don’t know their current condition.
The facility is working hand in hand with the Cabarrus Health Alliance, and it’s waiting for the rest of the results so the center can see where it stands.
Cabarrus County health is conducting contact investigations for every case, and there are 174 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county as of Sunday.
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