PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A cluster of coronavirus deaths have shaken the Healthcare at Foster Creek nursing home facility in Southeast Portland.
Ten residents at the facility have died from the virus, making it the largest cluster of deaths from COVID-19 in Oregon, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services. Six staff members at the facility also tested positive.
Senior care facilities have been especially vulnerable to the virus. Portland’s Laurelhurst Village recently witnessed five deaths. Nearly 30 staff members at the facility have tested positive for the virus as well.
Foster Creek and Laurelhurst are just two of the 26 care facilities that the Oregon Health Authority said have had either a resident or a staff member test positive.
(As of Friday night)
Senior care facilities:
–26 confirmed cases of COVID-19
–89 tests pending cases of COVID-19
Adult Foster Homes:
-6 confirmed cases of COVID-19
-9 tests pending of COVID-19
Editor’s Note:
On Friday night, April 10, an official with the Department of Human Services confirmed to KOIN 6 News that there had been ten COVID-19-related deaths at Healthcare at Foster Creek and five at Laurelhurst Village. However, in a Saturday announcement of the DHS-OHA multi-agency support team for long-term care facilities, the Oregon Health Authority revised those figures to nine deaths at Foster Creek and three at Laurelhurst.
KOIN 6 News reached out to OHA about the discrepancy and received the following response:
“The COVID-19 case data at facilities, which was provided in the press release today, is provisional and subject to change with ongoing data reconciliation. The information shared on April 10, in response to questions, were reports provided by two facilities, Healthcare at Foster Creek and Laurelhurst Village. OHA’s protocol is likely different than what facility staff were using. We expect the data being shared by DHS and OHA, at the facility level, will continue to evolve as we move forward.”