SHELBY COUNTY, Tennessee —
In Shelby County, Friday the number of seniors who died from COVID-19 complications at an assisted living facility doubled from three to six. This after three The Village at Germantown residents passed away, in addition to three other COVID-19 deaths at Carriage Court in east Memphis.
There's COVID-19 clusters of at least three cases at seven such Shelby County assisted living facilities to date. A spokesperson said the three who died all had serious underlying health conditions and The Village at Germantown is offering COVID-19 testing to all front line workers as a precaution.
Shelby County Health Department teams continue their oversight at all seven facilities and provide supplies if needed.
"We will continue to monitor that closely," Shelby County Health Director Dr. Alisa Haushalter said. "We know that as more seniors and individuals with chronic illnesses get infected, the deaths will continue to go up."
The department's investigative teams are working at seven such Shelby County facilities with more than 40 COVID-19 infections combined of residents and staff. Those teams make sure facilities follow new guidelines such as worker temperature checks and visitor bans and that front line workers are equipped with the needed personal protective equipment.
"One of the significant challenges really is PPE, some of the organizations may not traditionally need the PPE that's needed during the COVID-19 outbreak," Dr. Haushalter said.
In addition to the three The Village at Germantown residents who died, a spokesperson said four workers and two other residents also tested positive for COVID-19 to date.
The Shelby County Health director said the administrations at such facilities work well with their teams, as they collaborate to contain the spread of COVID-19.
"I would say that all the organizations we are working with are very cooperative," Dr. Haushalter said.
The Shelby County Health Department said there's enough staffing for the ongoing oversight at the seven assisted living facilities with a cluster of COVID-19 cases, but there's backup options if more workers are needed.
A spokesperson with The Village at Germantown said at this point, there are no plans for widespread COVID-19 testing of every resident.