COVID-19 Rattles 9 Tri-Valley Senior Homes

TRI-VALLEY, CA — At least 123 residents of Tri-Valley assisted living homes have been sickened by the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic.

Nine facilities have been affected and four outbreaks remain active, according to state data from Sunday, the most recent day for which data was available as of Monday. At least eight residents have died as a result and at least 75 workers have been sickened, but none have died.

Those numbers could be even higher, as the state Department of Social Services does not provide exact case count and death totals in facilities with fewer than 11 cases or deaths to report, in the interest of protecting patient privacy.

See chart below for more details.

A majority of the residents of Quail Garden in Livermore were sickened in an outbreak there, said facility Administrator Alicia Peacock.

As soon as the first slew of positive test results came back a month ago, she said staff quickly implemented room isolation protocols and donned full personal protective equipment. They've been conducting widespread testing weekly thanks to the Alameda County Public Health Department and were just cleared after receiving two rounds of negative tests.

All of that has been difficult for a team without medical experience, Peacock said. As her staff grappled with the largest medical crisis in more than a century and a "vicious month," they clung to YouTube tutorials on PPE and advice received over the phone from public health officials.

"We've been running a COVID ward without any doctors or nurses assisting us," she said.

Looking back, Peacock said she believes it's possible the coronavirus may have crept into the Quail Garden a couple of weeks before it was detected. It spread despite their best efforts to limit visitation, practice hand hygiene and implement screening protocols, she said.

"The bottom line is this virus is essentially everywhere and it doesn't discriminate where it's going to hit," she said.

The challenge is especially great at assisted living facilities with memory care units, such as The Parkview in Pleasanton.

The facility was unaffected by the pandemic until a memory care staff member tested positive for the coronavirus on Dec. 10, and another seven staff and nine residents soon tested positive, said Teri Tift, an executive handling COVID-19 response matters at Eskaton, which operates the facility.

Memory care unit residents may not always understand the need to socially distance and wear a mask, though seeing others in masks can serve as a helpful reminder to those struggling with dementia, said Tift, who is a registered nurse and holds a doctorate in health administration.

"Those reminders only last for a short period of time," she said.

The Parkview continues to plan socially distanced activities for residents, but it's especially hard for seniors since the pandemic has forced facility operators to limit visitors, she said. People may go between rooms, not realizing the risk they're taking when they give their neighbor a hug.

"It's just heartbreaking," Tift said.

For health care workers like Tift and her team members, a vaccine can't come fast enough. She anticipates The Parkview will likely begin receiving vaccines to protect against the coronavirus in early January through a partnership with CVS.

Until life resembles something closer to normal, Tift said the facility will continue to work with county public health workers to carry out COVID-19 testing protocols, deliver meals to residents, and ensure people are isolating when necessary.

The coronavirus "is affecting millions of people, and it is very difficult and hard on families, and residents and staff," she said. "I'll be so glad when we have the vaccine going to everybody."

Here's a full list of Tri-Valley assisted living centers that have reported COVID-19 cases as of Sunday:

Note: Mobile users must scroll right on chart to see all details. For facilities with fewer than 11 cases or deaths, the state does not publish an exact number to protect patient privacy.