Beverly Coronavirus: 10 Cases At Nursing Home

BEVERLY, MA — At least 10 patients at a Beverly nursing facility were isolated after testing positive for the new coronavirus, according to the sister of a man who contracted the virus there.

Katherine White, whose brother is a patient at CareOne at Essex Park, said she was told by staff that 10 patients were fighting the virus as of Wednesday morning. Her brother was being treated for cancer at CareOne and was taken to Beverly Hospital earlier this week after testing positive for the virus.

Patch asked Beverly Health Director William Burke for comment and will update this story when we hear back from him. Brenna House, the administrator at CareOne at Essex Park, and Patricia Chiorello, senior vice president of communications for CareOne, did not respond to phone messages requesting comment on Monday and Tuesday.

White said her brother has been at the facility since December and that she asked whether any patients tested positive for coronavirus "every time I called." It was only after she called the Beverly Health Department that staff at CareOne were "more forthcoming" with information.

"I don't blame the nursing homes for this happening," White said. "What I don't understand is why they are not being more transparent about it. In this crisis, information is power."

CareOne at Essex Park is part of a national chain and provides specialized rehabilitation services to patients. CareOne suspended visits to all of its facilities March 12 as the coronavirus pandemic worsened and started retraining staff on infection control measures, according to an update on its Website.

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Massachusetts nursing homes have been particularly hard-hit by the coronavirus. As of Wednesday, 1,296, or 7.7 percent of the state's 16,790 confirmed cases, were patients or staff members at nursing homes. Statewide, 140 Massachusetts nursing homes have reported at least one case of coronavirus among staff and patients.

Attorney General Maura Healey is investigating the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, where 25 residents died after contracting the coronavirus. In Newton, five residents at Benchmark Senior Living died from the coronavirus, and there are 46 additional cases among staff and patients.

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Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).