The 49 swabs we sent to the lab Friday have all returned negative. We will begin another round of surveillance testing on all of our staff beginning tomorrow.
As it is imperative to be transparent regarding COVID-19, we wanted to share with our community that we learned that one of our employees that has been out on quarantine due to an outside exposure has recently tested positive. This employee has not had any contact with staff or residents during their infectious period as they have not been in the facility in the last 14 days. This employee is being followed by our Employee Health department and will follow CDC guidelines, only returning once those guidelines have been met.
The first shipments of COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in Maine this week and we are busy preparing a vaccination plan for our residents and staff. The CDC has recommended that nursing home residents and staff be among one of the first to receive the vaccine. We have partnered with Walgreen’s Pharmacy to assist in the distribution of the vaccine once it becomes available. You may have already received a phone call from one of our nurse leaders inquiring about your interest in having your loved one vaccinated. This assists us in vaccine planning. Before we begin COVID-19 vaccination for residents an informed consent must be signed. There will be more to come on COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days and weeks.
