January 26, 2022
Here is the latest on the COVID-19 front: thanks to conscientious self-reporting by one of our LNAs (who subsequently tested positive) we were able to immediately place eight residents with whom she had contact on Quarantine Precautions. All the affected residents have been retested, with no positives; nursing will reassess each resident for symptoms every four hours going forward.
The stepped-up safety protocols that had been in place — pausing group activities and communal dining, and performing immediate testing on any symptomatic resident or staff member – will remain in place for the near term.
Room-to-room service carts with drinks, snacks, movies, books, music, puzzles, magazines and whatever else we may have on offer will be available to quarantined residents over the coming days.
Today’s New York Times COVID-19 Tracker has this to say about Windham County, VT:
“Unvaccinated people in Windham County are at an extremely high risk for Covid-19 infections… Because of high spread, the C.D.C. recommends that even vaccinated people wear masks here. Since January 2020, at least 1 in 8 people who live in Windham County have been infected, and at least 1 in 1,279 people have died.”
Safe and sanitized visiting spaces will be maintained for families and/or residents who prefer in-person visits. As we’ve all seen over the past months, however, Omicron, while dissipating somewhat, is still with us and still infecting fully vaccinated folks who follow all the rules. This is known as “Community Spread,” where the virus is contracted in the community without contact with known positive individuals. Given that, please consider having your next visit via Zoom, FaceTime, or telephone; facility iPads are available for residents who are without devices (please call ahead for visits with residents who may need extra time to prepare).
Thompson House’s Infection Prevention Committee is in touch throughout the day, every day, with the state epidemiologist at the Vermont Department of Health. Together, we will reevaluate our status and update you when we receive the results from PCR testing scheduled for Monday, 1/31, or sooner if need be.
We’re often told “Thank you for all that you do.” We’ll close this time by thanking all of you for doing what you do, what you have done, and will no doubt continue to do for the duration. We, as one community, are all in this together.
Thank you,
Melissa Osborne, RN, DON
Dane Rank, Administrator
