Bellingham nursing home reports five more employees test positive for coronavirus
Five more employees at Shuksan Healthcare Center have tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, the Bellingham nursing home announced Tuesday afternoon, March 24.
The new cases mean a total of 11 workers have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness.
No additional residents have tested positive as of Tuesday, according to Shuksan, adding that it was waiting for test results for one resident.
That means the number of residents who have tested positive remains at 26.
Information about the five ill employees wasn’t immediately available on Tuesday.
But the six employees who first tested positive were all health care workers, according to David Kiefer, regional director of operations for Shuksan Healthcare Center.
The Whatcom County Health Department announced an outbreak at the nursing home at 1530 James St. over the weekend.
Shuksan Healthcare Center has 98 employees and 38 residents, according to Kiefer.
Whatcom County had a total of 64 confirmed cases and two deaths, according to the health department late Tuesday morning.
