Arizona is still at risk with a high number of COVID-19 positive cases (165,934 cases as of today), but one of the promising signs is that our case number is beginning to flatten. More time is needed to see if this is a “true” flattening, but it is promising. Additionally, the percentage of positive tests seems to be plateauing, from a high of 21% a month ago, to 15% last week, to 12.7% so far this week. When the state reopened on May 16, the number was as low as 5%. The labs processing the tests are continuing to face a huge backlog of tests, which is why Beatitudes Campus is conducting its own testing.
Last Thursday, all direct care workers and support workers in the Health Care Center and plaza view assisted living, as well as our transportation, security and life enrichment teams were tested. Out of 245 tests, four came back positive (1.6%) and all are asymptomatic and in quarantine at their homes. Today, residents on the third and fourth floors in the Health Care Center will be retested. We are now getting the results from retesting 13 Early Memory Support residents from last week – two residents tested positive; both are asymptomatic and are moving to the Isolation Unit in the Health Care Center. Nine residents tested negative and two results are still pending. On Thursday, July 30, all staff across campus will be retested as part of our testing initiative.
In the past few letters, I have emphasized the importance of testing, and I will continue to advocate for testing and funding for testing throughout this pandemic. Testing staff and residents regularly just makes sense. Here at the campus, we are seeing the majority of positive tests in people who are showing no symptoms. Knowing this, we can better contain the spread of the virus. Testing – and getting results quickly – helps individuals change their behavior and quarantine sooner. It also allows for fact-based decisions on care and self-care.
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services pledged $5 billion for skilled nursing facilities to address critical needs such as testing and infection control. The government is currently working on the funding package, including a timeline and requirements to receive the funding. I will share more when we know more, but this type of funding is a good step forward in protecting seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's been 163 days since the federal government declared a coronavirus pandemic. We've learned a lot in those days, but we've also learned that we don't have any easy answer for this novel coronavirus. There is no roadmap and we are grappling with challenges both big and small that we could have never imagined a year ago. With your support and your trust, we will get through this together. Many challenges lie ahead of us, but we are resilient! We are Beatitudes Strong!
My best,
Michelle Just, President and ceo
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