Veterans Home in Boulder City reports 10 new COVID-19 cases
Six more residents and four employees at the Southern Nevada State Veterans Home in Boulder City have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, the state Department of Veterans Services announced Thursday.
A week ago the department announced that three additional residents and one staff member had tested positive for the virus after a new resident, who had tested negative prior to admission to the home, later tested positive.
The facility has now reported 23 confirmed coronavirus cases in 11 residents and 12 staff members, according to the state’s database. One resident, an 86-year-old Korean War veteran, died from the disease March 28.
All COVID-19 positive residents are in isolation and the staff members are self-quarantined at home, the veterans home said. They must have two consecutive negative test results before they can have contact with other residents or return to work.
Currently, those who tested positive are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, the state said.
Kat Miller, director of the Department of Veterans Services, which regulates the home for elderly military veterans, tied the new cases to the reopening of the state’s nonessential businesses.
“Mirroring what is occurring statewide as Nevada begins to reopen, we are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 positive test results at Southern Nevada State Veterans Home,” she said. “Our clinical and support staff is rigorous in their adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) infection control protocols, in many instances going above and beyond what is required to protect our residents.”
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.