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Jun 12

44 people infected at Greenville nursing home; bill would open bars, fitness clubs – Greenville Daily Reflector

Fitness Comments Off on 44 people infected at Greenville nursing home; bill would open bars, fitness clubs – Greenville Daily Reflector

State and local health officials reported that 44 people have been infected with COVID-19 in relation to an outbreak at a Greenville nursing home.

The outbreak occurred at East Carolina Rehab and Wellness, 2575 W. Fifth St., according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. A total of 34 residents and 10 staff members tested positive for the virus.

Its unclear when the outbreak began or what is being done to contain it. The Pitt County Health Department referred questions to the nursing home. A manager at the facility on Wednesday declined a request for an interview. Its website on Wednesday was still reporting it had no cases of COVID-19.

The DHHS report of ongoing outbreaks in congregated living settings first reported the outbreak on Tuesday. The report is updated at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. The outbreak was not included in Fridays update.

Pitt County saw a spike in COVID cases on Thursday and Friday of last week. Twenty-nine people tested on Thursday were positive for the virus and 23 tested on Friday were positive. The previous one-day high for positive tests was 13 on May 20.

The majority but not all of the positive tests on Thursday and Friday were related to the outbreak, Pitt County Deputy Health Deputy Director Amy Hattem said. Fourteen people also tested positive on Saturday.

The county has seen a significant increase in positive test results in the last week. It reported 56 new cases between Friday and Monday, bringing the cumulative total to 392. That number increased another 30 to 422 by 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Hattem said the health department is working with the facility to put measures in place to protect the residents and staff.

It is the second outbreak at a nursing facility in Pitt County. Two staff members and one resident were infected at Ayden Court Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in May. After 28 days with no new cases it is no longer considered an outbreak, Hattem said.

The news comes as the state legislature passed another bill Wednesday to overturn parts of Gov. Roy Coopers executive order that keep certain businesses closed to discourage the spread of COVID-19.

As with previous legislation sent to him seeking to reopen bars, Cooper is likely to veto the latest measure, which also ends the shuttering of gyms and fitness clubs.

The House voted on a largely party-line vote of 69-50 in favor of the measure written by Republicans, many of whom have been critical of the Democratic governors slow pace to loosen restrictions on the state economy. It would allow the fitness centers and gyms to reopen indoors at 50% capacity and require they follow social distancing and cleanliness rules.

The bill also contains language from a bill Cooper vetoed last week that would let bars reopen but only outdoors and give restaurants already allowed to serve dine-in customers additional outdoor seating options. Coopers veto message said that bill would make it difficult for his administration and local governments to re-close these industries should there be a surge in cases possibly later this year.

Coopers office didnt immediately comment Wednesday on the new measure that passed the Senate earlier this week and now heads to his desk. But he expressed skepticism about the changes earlier this week, raising the likelihood of another veto.

He has said the extended closings are based on science health officials have said sitting for a long time in bars and intense exercise within indoor gyms make patrons more susceptible to virus infections. But operators of bars and gyms closed since March are pleading to reopen to save their businesses and rehire laid-off workers.

The Senate authors of the new bill said Tuesday they addressed Coopers concerns by giving the governor authority to shut down the establishments under his emergency powers, but only with the agreement of the Council of State.

I believe this bill is a common sense (bill) and a good middle ground, said Rep. Kyle Hall, a Stokes County Republican. I believe this fully addresses the governors concerns.

Some Senate Democrats complained earlier this week that this condition couldnt be met during this pandemic because Republicans compose six of the councils 10 spots, including Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who is challenging Cooper this fall. House Minority Leader Darren Jackson of Wake County portrayed the measure as a reflection of the beliefs of many Republicans who dont take the pandemic seriously enough.

The latest efforts come as North Carolina reached another all-time high in virus-related hospitalizations on Wednesday at 780. Several hundred intensive care unit beds still remain available in hospitals, however. More than 1,050 people diagnosed with COVID-19 have died.

Yet here we are taking away the ability of our scientists and ability of our public health experts to do something about it, Jackson said while urging his Democratic colleagues to vote no. Four Democrats in the chamber joined all Republicans in voting for the bill, but the final margin signals that bill supporters lack enough votes for an override.

The number of positive cases reported since the pandemic began now exceeds 38,000. State Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen said Wednesday that her agency was marshaling testing and tracing resources this week to Mecklenburg, Alamance, Wake, Duplin, Johnston, Durham, Forsyth and Lee counties.

The reopen legislation can be viewed as an alternate pathway for bar and gym owners who have sued to attempt to throw out Coopers order as unconstitutional. Theyve been unsuccessful in court so far.

Moore had scheduled a veto override vote for Wednesday on the bar and restaurant measure that Cooper blocked last week. But he took the measure off the calendar, saying he was hopeful that the updated bill with gyms could get stronger support.

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44 people infected at Greenville nursing home; bill would open bars, fitness clubs - Greenville Daily Reflector

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