On the heels of a 96-year-old Grayson Nursing & Rehabilitation (better known as Grayson Manor) resident testing positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) on Tuesday, a 20-year-old female employee at the nursing home has been announced as a confirmed case of the virus.
The case is Grayson County’s eighth overall and the fifth confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis since Saturday morning.
In a briefing Thursday afternoon, Judge-Executive Kevin Henderson said if you are a family member of a resident, you can contact the facility by calling 270-259-3676 and pressing option “0.” He recommends asking for Katy Newton, Melinda Fulkerson or Julie Lee.
Henderson said the staff and management of Grayson Nursing & Rehabilitation are “doing absolutely everything they can possibly do to ensure the safety of their residents.”
The Grayson County Health Department says there have now been 185 total tests conducted in the county with 157 of those coming back negative and 20 results pending. Two of the eight confirmed cases in the county have recovered.
Yesterday, Grayson Nursing & Rehabilitation released the following statement to residents and their families:
Grayson Nursing and Rehab is concerned for the ongoing welfare, safety, and health of our residents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring the outbreak of a new virus, COVID-19. The people most likely to become severely ill from COVID-19 are older adults and those with underlying medical conditions.
This letter is to alert you that on April 14, 2020, we learned that one of our residents developed COVID-19. We are actively monitoring our residents for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and are working with our local and state health departments.
All of our staff members continue to follow the CDC’s recommendations to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. These include strict handwashing procedures, and in many circumstances, wearing face masks, gowns and gloves when interacting with residents who are sick.
To minimize the risk of our residents becoming sick with COVID-19, we are suspending all visits to Grayson Nursing and Rehab. This decision is being made in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We understand that connecting with family members is important. Other ways to connect include telephone, email, text or through Skype or Facebook.
For the most up-to-date information on this topic, please visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/covid19.
By Ken Howlett, News Director, and Sam Gormley, Digital Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
