Nine COVID-19 deaths, 46 resident cases reported at Watsonville Post Acute
WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION)
UPDATE 10/7/2020 3:15 p.m. Five additional COVID-19 related deaths among residents have been reported at the Watsonville Post Acute Center.
The deaths bring the facility's total to 9. COVID-19 was the primary or contributing cause to all nine deaths.
The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency reports that 46 residents and 15 staff members have tested positive. The agency said it is working with staff on a daily basis to review isolation, quarantine, testing and screening protocols and handle resource requests. The California National Guard is also at the facility providing support.
“Watsonville Post-Acute informed CDPH and the County as soon as the first resident tested positive,” said Dr. David Ghilarducci, Deputy Health Officer for Santa Cruz County. “Our staff is focused on the outbreak and we will continue to work closely with WPA.”
County officials said that even though the number of new cases in the county is continuing to decline, skilled nursing and long-term care facilities are at higher risk for COVID-19.
PREVIOUS STORY: The County of Santa Cruz reports that two more people have died at the Watsonville Post Acute Center, bringing the total up to 4.
The county said one of the residents was a Latino man in his late 70's and the other was a Latina woman in her mid-80's. COVID-19 was a contributing factor in the man's death, but it was listed as the woman's primary cause of death.
The two deaths bring the county's total up to 14.
The Santa Cruz County Health Department reports that 46 residents have tested positive and 15 staff members have tested positive, despite the facility's claim that there are currently 23 positive cases among residents. The county expects more deaths due to COVID-19.
