Four coronavirus-related deaths linked to Bellingham nursing home reported
Two more residents at Shuksan Healthcare Center who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, the Bellingham nursing home announced Saturday, March 28.
One resident in their 90s died Thursday, and another in their 80s died Friday night, spokesperson Dan Brady told The Bellingham Herald, who added that the center is not releasing the genders of the residents.
“The Shuksan Healthcare team has notified the residents’ families and expressed our deepest sympathies,” Shuksan said in a release.
Their deaths would represent the fifth and sixth Whatcom County residents who tested positive for the new coronavirus to die.
Though only three died when they were residing at Shuksan, four people who died have ties to the Bellingham nursing home, where an outbreak of the respiratory illness was revealed last weekend.
Earlier Saturday, the Whatcom County Health Department reported that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county rose to 102. The health department so far has reported only four deaths related to the illness, with the most recent on March 25..
After three resident deaths in three days, Shuksan Healthcare Center currently has 24 residents and 19 employees who have been diagnosed with the respiratory illness, Brady said.
Shuksan reports that it has had nine residents who previously tested negative for COVID-19. Those residents have been retested and are awaiting results. One other resident’s earlier test is still pending and another has refused testing.
The other two deaths linked to Shuksan, according to the health department were:
▪ A man in his 80s who died March 20 at his home but was previously a resident at Shuksan. The man was tested before he died and the results came back positive for COVID-19
▪ A woman in her 90s died at Shuksan on March 25.
More than 640,500 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, with more than 29,800 deaths as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States has more than 112,400 confirmed cases — the most reported cases of any nation — with at least 1,841 deaths.
Overall, the Washington State Department of Health reported 4,310 cases and 189 deaths as of Saturday afternoon.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is a disease caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2.
The disease is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby.
Although most of the cases have been mild, the disease is especially dangerous for the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
Click the drop-down icon in the upper right of this card for more information on symptoms and how to stop its spread.
What you can do
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, according to the Whatcom County Health Department.
▪ Keep six feet between yourself and others when in public.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
▪ Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth with hands that haven’t been washed.
▪ Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, throw the tissue in the trash and then wash your hands.
▪ Stay home if you feel sick. Avoid others who are sick.
▪ If your symptoms are severe and require medical care, call your doctor first.
This story was originally published March 28, 2020 at 4:14 PM.
