Newly released information indicates growing problem of coronavirus cases at Florida long-term care facilities

WILTON MANORS, Fla. – State officials released new coronavirus information on Monday that highlights the increasingly dangerous issue plaguing long-term care facilities throughout Florida.

The state has released specifics about just how many residents and staff are infected with COVID-19.

The Manor Pines Convalescent Center in Wilton Manors is home to 50 residents who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

Another 26 staff members here have also contracted the virus, making it the hardest-hit long-term care facility in Broward County, according to state records.

The novel coronavirus has also swept through Atria Willow Wood in Fort Lauderdale, where 25 residents have come down with the virus in addition to one staff member.

Another hotspot is at the Court at Palm Aire in Pompano Beach, where a total of 23 residents are either in isolation or recovering in hospitals from COVID-19.

11 employees at the same center have also tested positive, a problem highlighted by experts earlier this month.

“The lockdown of the facilities, the patients aren't getting out. So, if they’re coming down with COVID, it has to be through the staff," said Florida National Guard Maj. Gen. James Eifert.

Statewide, more than 3,300 people tied to long-term care facilities have confirmed cases and a third of that number are staff members.

In fact, at the Miami Jewish Health System, where 52 residents have been hit by the virus, 41 employees have also tested positive.

Just over a dozen patients remain in isolation, the bulk of the sickened residents were transferred to area hospitals.

Fountain Manor and Health is also a hotspot; 38 residents and 10 employees came down with the virus.

An even greater number of positive cases are at Unity Health and Rehab Center in Miami-Dade, where 49 residents and 11 employees have tested positive.

And finally, one of the largest swaths of confirmed cases among patients is being reported at the North Dade Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where a whopping 54 residents contracted the virus along with three employees.

CLICK HERE to see the latest numbers of cases at the state’s long-term care facilities.


About the Author:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.