MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — An outbreak of COVID-19 at a Morristown nursing home has killed 14 people and infected more than 100 residents and staff.
The Heritage Center in Morristown, a facility run by Life Care Centers of America, reported 113 total COVID-19 infections on Friday. Of those, 64 were residents and 49 were staff.
Of the 64 residents infected, LCCA said 14 died. Nine are still considered active cases, four are still in the hospital, and 37 have recovered.
"We continue to battle COVID-19 every day as we mourn the loss of some of our dear residents. We extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends," Scott Hunt, executive director of LCCA of Morgan County, said.
Hunt said residents have been isolated and are receiving care from staff. Employees who tested positive were told to isolate and recover at home and not return to work until they meet the CDC's guidelines for returning.
"We have appropriately notified and communicated with the state health department and every resident, resident family member and staff member since our initial positive case," Hunt said.
The nursing home said it tests its residents and associates on a weekly basis, and constantly monitor residents for symptoms or concerns. The associates are also screened with temperature checks and symptom monitoring when they arrive for work.
The Heritage Center is one of hundreds of long-term care facilities in the state of Tennessee that have seen an outbreak of COVID-19 within its facilities, and its outbreak has been one of the deadliest to date.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health's data, 791 people who lived in long-term care died to COVID-19 as of October 9. More than 5,400 cases of COVID-19 in the state involved a long-term care facility resident, with 4,917 others involving staff at those facilities.