Coronavirus cases spike at Louisville nursing home. And more increases are expected

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —More than 60 residents and employees of a Clifton nursing home have tested positive for the coronavirus amid a statewide effort to test every individual who lives and works in a long-term care facility.

Nazareth Home Clifton, 2120 Payne St., had previously reported just one case of the quick-spreading virus, which has sickened more than 1,600 people from Kentucky's nursing homes over the last three months.

But after everyone in the 101-bed facility was tested last week, the home reported that 39 residents and 26 staff members had been diagnosed with the illness, many of whom were asymptomatic.

All of the sick residents have since been transferred to four local hospitals — Baptist East, Norton Brownsboro, Norton Audubon and University of Louisville Jewish Hospital, a spokesperson said.

One resident from Nazareth Home Clifton has died.

Background:Everything you need to know about coronavirus outbreaks in Kentucky nursing homes

List:More than 100 Kentucky nursing homes have reported coronavirus cases

Health officials say such a spike in cases is to be expected as homes begin to test all patients and employees, regardless of symptoms.

That's why a long-term care task force, led by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, has created a program to support facilities that begin to experience outbreaks.

As of Friday, the task force has helped test approximately 3,800 residents and 4,500 employees from 51 facilities, a state spokesperson said.

The entire testing process is expected to take about 10 weeks.

"We have a comprehensive program where we work with facilities to help them with how they use (personal protective equipment), how they manage their staff and how they manage their patients to try to keep everybody safe and reduce the risk of spread of infection," Kentucky health commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said during a recent press briefing.

"We are working very methodically to get to all the nursing homes and support that community and the residents who live there who are the most vulnerable among us."

Related:Some Kentucky senior homes don't have to report coronavirus cases. Here's why

Diane Curtis, director of communications for Nazareth Home Ministries, which operates two nursing homes in Louisville, said the nonprofit requested facilitywide testing after several residents began to show symptoms of the coronavirus last week.

The home received its test results Friday, and it worked through the weekend to isolate sick residents from healthy ones until they could be transferred to a hospital, Curtis said.

Nearly 30 volunteer nurses and emergency medical technicians assisted Nazareth Home with the moves, Curtis said. The state's task force will continue to provide staff support while sick employees isolate at home.

"This is a case where everything was followed from the onset," Curtis said about the home's overall response to the coronavirus pandemic. "... Our hearts go out to family members who haven't seen their loved ones since early March. Our hearts go out to our staff, who are dedicated and working around the clock."

Nazareth Home initially opened as an aging facility for religious sisters and priests and continues to serve many of them, though it has since opened its doors to people of all backgrounds.

Nazareth Home's second location, at 2000 Newburg Road, will receive facilitywide testing on June 1.

Curtis said the nonprofit will continue to update family members on its cases and the steps it's taking to keep residents safe.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/baileyl.