BRANCH COUNTY — While COVID-19 activity is stable in Michigan, there was an outbreak and one death in Branch County’s Maple Lawn Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility, director Jayne Sabaitis reported to her board Wednesday.
Sabaitis said the last patient will be off “COVID precautions” Friday after 14 residents and 16 staff tested positive for the virus beginning July 26.
Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Health Agency information officer Kris Dewey said, “We are seeing an increase in reported COVID cases across the jurisdiction.”
The health agency worked with Maple Lawn after its outbreak. Dewey said, “At this time, we have no additional outbreaks that we are monitoring.”
The state reported 16 outbreaks in long-term healthcare facilities on Aug. 15.
Maple Lawn was the only one in Southwest Michigan.
The Maple Lawn director traced the outbreak to one staff member, the granddaughter of a patient. “That family all came down with it. That resident attends every activity that we do. So, (COVID-19) ended up all over,” Sabaitis explained.
Nursing director Amy Zierle said the symptoms were flu-like, “but more severe.”
Doctors provided antiviral treatments, antibiotics, and steroids, which Sabaitis called, “Our normal protocol.”
The director said one resident died. Sabaitis said that the resident’s health was already compromised from other health issues. “She is considered a COVID death.”
Zierle and Sabaitis said several employees and residents had respiratory issues. “We have one employee off right now with pneumonia,” Sabaitis said.
With the Branch County Fair starting on Aug. 4, “We always see a lot of illness around the fair. Residents go to the fair, and they’re around a lot of other people,” Sabaitis said.
The director said, “They want to see the animals and they want to eat fair food. Several were upset they could not go because they had COVID.”
Heidi Hazel, the health agency prevention services director, said, “We are awaiting release of the 2024-25 Covid vaccines which should be the first week of September.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges reported last week, “The reason COVID-19 cases are increasing this summer is likely because people who haven’t been recently vaccinated or infected have fewer antibodies to fight off the first sign of the virus.”
Symptoms of COVID-19 current variant infections include fever, chills, sore throat, cough, congestion, body aches, gastrointestinal issues, and fatigue.
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The Center for Disease Control listed Michigan as a stable state as of Aug. 20, without growth in the virus among the population. Twenty-five states reported outbreaks with increasing cases.
Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com
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