Florida Coronavirus Update: 2 Deaths At Assisted Living Facility In Fort Lauderdale
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- After the death of two residents from the coronavirus and several others testing positive, the state has sent in an incident management team to the Atria Willow Wood Assisted Living Facility in Fort Lauderdale.
Late Friday afternoon, a Sunrise mobile command unit could be seen entering the grounds of the senior and memory center on Commercial Boulevard after an apparent outbreak of the illness there.
Paramedics with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue loaded up a person at the assisted living facility.
The paramedics took extreme precaution in clothing and protective gear. When they arrived at Holy Cross Hospital Chopper 4 showed the patient nearly fully wrapped in some sort of blanket as paramedics wheeled the person into the hospital.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Friday that a second resident of Atria Willow Wood — a man in his 90's — died from Covid-19. Richard Curren, 77, was the first to die from the illness earlier this month.
The Governor said there are 7 additional positive cases at the site and state health officials are awaiting the results of tests on 6 more residents.
We also learned how the virus might have gotten into the facility.
"Construction workers, staff and cooks who were ill were not screened and were allowed to go work their jobs and mix with the residents unimpeded.," DeSantis said. "That is exactly what you are not supposed to do."
Residents at the facility are self-isolating, DeSantis said, and their temperatures are being monitored. The state is asking the Centers for Disease Control to send an infectious disease expert to the facility and the Governor offered a stern warning to facilities that house the elderly.
"If you are an operator of one of these facilities, you need to take responsibility to protect your residents," DeSantis said.
The incident management team will oversee the care of hundreds of residents and work with surrounding fire rescue agencies to transport residents to the hospital if necessary.
Staff will remain at the center but will answer to the incident management team when it comes to critical care.
The action is meant to avoid a mass casualty incident from the virus, like the one that happened in Washington state.
Statewide there are more than 500 COVID-19 cases and the death toll now stands at 10 with the confirmation that a second man in his nineties died from the virus at Willow Wood this past week.
"Over the past few days, we have had three residents from our Willow Wood community pass away. It is confirmed that two of these residents tested positive for COVID-19 and one test came back negative. Our thoughts are with all of the residents' families during this difficult time," read a statement from Mike Gentry, Atria Senior Living Senior Vice President of Care.
However, in a late Friday afternoon news conference, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters there are seven more seniors infected with the new coronavirus at Atria Willow Wood and six others are awaiting test results.
The Governor said the facility did not properly screen construction workers, staff and cooks who were allowed into the facility.
"That is exactly what you are not supposed to do," DeSantis said.
The first death at Atria Willow Wood was 77-year-old Richard Curren. Curren, who lived with his wife at the assisted living facility, had diabetes and COPD and suffered a heart attack several years ago, according to family members.
As of Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m., there are 124 positive coronavirus cases in Broward, the most in the state, while Miami-Dade now has 113.
Demographically, 112 cases statewide involve people ages 60 to 69, the largest number in an age group. 29 cases involve people age 80 or older. One case involves a 6-year-old.
Also on Friday, the governor issued an order for all of Broward County and Palm Beach County closing restaurants, bars, movie theatres, concert houses, auditoriums, playhouses, bowling alleys, arcades, gyms, fitness studios and beaches to control the spread of the virus.
However, hardware stores, specialty stores like big lots, liquor stores and pet stores remain open.
The City of Sunrise compiled a list of local eateries that offer take-out and delivery service. Here is a link to their database: www.sunrisefl.gov/restaurants.
"Now, we must support the restaurants and their employees by ordering takeout and delivery, and utilizing their talents to help feed our community," said Mayor mike Ryan. "Beyond the restaurants, our duty as Americans is to demonstrate our compassionate warmth for all those businesses and residents negatively impacted and in need. We will come through this but there will be so many that will need the uplifting spirit of charity and collective empathy we have demonstrated time and again. The more genuine we are about this commitment, the better we all will be -- not just in Sunrise but across our nation and world."
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