COVID-19 outbreak sickens 15 at Lynbrook assisted living facility

A COVID-19 outbreak at an Atria senior living facility in Lynbrook sickened 15 residents, including two who were hospitalized, facility officials said.

The cases, however, appear to be isolated. The state Health Department said they are not seeing any “significant” uptick in COVID-19 cases at nursing homes or assisted living facilities statewide or across Long Island.

The outbreak at the assisted living facility on Peninsula Boulevard began late last week, with 15 residents testing positive for the virus, including two who were hospitalized, an Atria spokesperson said. 

For four days, from last Friday to Tuesday, Atria escalated its infection control protocols, limiting the number of guests allowed on the property, and altering its programing and dining to prevent further spread, officials said.

The facility has since returned to normal operations and nearly all of the residents who were sickened have since recovered, according to Atria.

“We will continue to support the affected individuals so they can return to good health as quickly as possible,” Atria said in a statement. “Our infection control protocols are thorough and designed to be implemented quickly, including regular screening and monitoring … Above all, the health and well-being of our residents and staff is the highest priority.”

A spokesperson said the state Health Department is aware of the outbreak but COVID-19 cases in nursing homes and assisted living facilities statewide have remained low.

“The Department of Health is consistently monitoring reports of new cases of COVID-19, including any potential outbreaks at regulated facilities in New York,” the department said in a statement. “We are aware that this facility is monitoring a small outbreak of COVID-19, and our daily reports indicate no significant increase in cases at regulated facilities. While the federal government has declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand the virus is still circulating and urge all New Yorkers to take precautions.”

The Health Department said it holds biweekly calls with nursing home advocates, stressing the need to remain vigilant with infection control practices and vaccination efforts. The department, officials said, recently completed a program where nursing homes across the state were offered a variety of medical supplies for free to reduce COVID-19 transmission. 

Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that advocates for the elderly and disabled in long-term care settings, said outbreaks in nursing homes gained much of the attention during the pandemic. But assisted living facilities, he said, have much of the same risk but without the round-the-clock nursing care.

“Every relevant factor indicates that assisted living residents are more vulnerable than nursing home residents to COVID infection,” Mollot said. “Assisted living residents are older. Assisted living residences rarely have nurses around and overall staffing requirements are a fraction of those for nursing homes. Unlike nursing homes, reporting of resident information is minimal in assisted living residences. Infection control and prevention requirements are much lower.”