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Members of the National Guard were set up at Wolters Park in Schulenburg on Wednesday to provide free coronavirus testing to anyone in the community. County Emergency Management Chief Craig Moreau reported that 206 people were tested that day. Moreau said he knows of nearly 1,300 tests conducted in Fayette County since the pandemic began.
Fayette County Emergency Management Chief Craig Moreau reported that his office has received most of the results from last week’s nursing home testing.
Testing revealed five positive cases at the nursing homes. Three are staff members and two are residents. The five patients were located at four different facilitates.
All were reported as asymptomatic at the time of testing.
All residents and staff at the five nursing homes in Fayette County were tested: Care Inn of La Grange, Monument Hill Nursing Center in La Grange, Schulenburg Regency Nursing Center, Schulenburg Colonia and Oak Manor in Flatonia. In all, 679 tests were administered. Moreau said that amounts to about three percent of Fayette County’s population.
Moreau declined to name which nursing homes had positive cases. The Record reached out to all five nursing homes to inquire about their cases, but only one facility responded: Schulenburg Regency.
“We tested 249 employees and residents on June 11. I can confirm one employee has tested positive for COVID-19,” Schulenburg Regency Administrator Shannon McBride told the Record on Tuesday. “With that said, the employee was asymptomatic prior to testing, was asymptomatic on the day of testing and has been asymptomatic pending the testing results. The employee is currently in selfisolation at home and is being monitored for any signs and/or symptoms. As of today, we still have some tests pending. We are continuing to follow infection control protocols and work with our partners in state and local health departments.”
Moreau said the two residents who tested positive at the other facilities would be placed in isolation within the nursing homes. He said each patient will have dedicated staff who will care only for them, and staff who care for other residents will not be in contact with the COVID patients. In addition, Moreau said follow-up testing will take place at the four facilities with confirmed cases, although he said he is waiting on guidance from the state about how to conduct the follow-up testing.
“This should be a reminder to the public and all healthcare workers to continue vigilance even if you are not experiencing any symptoms,” Moreau said. “Strict adherence to mask and PPE protocols is what has kept the numbers in Fayette County nursing homes so low thus far.”
Moreau said all nursing homes in the county were provided with N95 masks for every staff member, along with surgical masks for every resident. Those supplies have been replaced as needed with assistance from local and state resources, he said.
“We will continue this practice of wearing standard PPE around our most vulnerable populations,” he said. “The nursing homes have long-established protocols for isolating patients and staff. The protocols were written with the assistance of physicians and state health officials. These protocols have been put into place as recommended. State officials with DSHS have been notified and are consulting with nursing home administrations for any additional actions that may be needed in the coming days.”
Moreau said he expects a rise in reported cases over the next seven to 14 days.
“Our testing has gone up exponentially thanks to expanded efforts of both private and public testing,” he said. “There have been no additional reported hospitalizations at this time due to coronavirus.”
