COVID-19 has struck hard in long-term care facilities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the congregate settings and their populations – older adults, many with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk – make nursing homes higher risks for pathogens including COVID-19.

Warren County’s facilities have not been immune.

There have been more than 30 deaths and about 200 total cases in the county’s facilities.

But, the COVID situations are starting to look up. Vaccination is under way and many patients have already recovered.

COVID-19 vaccines were administered to a second county facility on Thursday.

Under the Federal Pharmacy Partnership, CVS provided the first of two doses of the vaccine to residents, patients, and staff at Kinzua Healthcare and Rehabilitation.

“The COVID-19 vaccine will be administered by CVS to residents, patients, and caregivers who choose to receive it,” according to a release from Guardian Healthcare. “The start of COVID-19 vaccination clinics has given both residents and caregivers a renewed hope for the future and they are excited to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Staff and residents at the Rouse Home received initial doses on Monday, Jan. 4.

Warren Manor will receive vaccines on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

The second of two doses is to be delivered three weeks after the initial dose.

There are still numerous cases.

“Currently there are 16 residents positive for COVID-19 on our isolation unit, six residents who are negative, and 76 residents who once tested positive but have since recovered,” Rouse Marketing Director Kelsey Angove said.

“As of today, Warren Manor currently has had a total of 96 COVID positive resident cases,” Regional Director of Business Development Kerstin Wyman said Thursday. “Resident testing was conducted on Jan. 4 and there were two new cases this week.”

“We have 75 residents in recovery with 16 negative residents overall and five positive residents still active,” Wyman said. “We have unfortunately had 18 deaths overall.”

“We have had 53 total employees with COVID, two actively in quarantine with 51 who have recovered and returned to work,” Wyman said.

“Kinzua Healthcare & Rehabilitation can confirm five positive cases among residents and two positive cases among caregivers at this time,” according to Guardian. “The site can also confirm one resident death.”

All deaths are reported to the Warren County Coroner’s office. Through Wednesday, Coroner Melissa Zydonik reported there had been 50 COVID and COVID-related deaths in the county.

There are fewer than usual people in the nursing homes.

Deaths and discharges account for some of that, but fewer new residents are being accepted.

“The Rouse Home has seen a drop in total number of residents, but mainly as a result of being closed to new admissions for approximately three weeks, planned discharges to the community, and also due to a number of COVID, COVID-related, or non-COVID deaths in the facility,” Angove said. “The Rouse Home census currently stands at 98. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 the census at the Rouse Home was averaging 140 to 145.”

Regular admissions re-opened on Wednesday and Angove said officials “expect to regain” former population levels.

“Kinzua Healthcare & Rehabilitation continues to admit new patients under Infection Prevention and Control guidance issued by federal and state health authorities,” according to Guardian. “That guidance includes, among other things, protocols for isolating new patients to monitor them for COVID-19.”

30 NEW CASES REPORTED

While the worst of the surge of new cases in the county seems to be past, the number of COVID-related deaths continues to rise.

There were five new COVID-related deaths added Friday, bringing the county’s total to 51.

There were 30 new cases reported.

The county has now had 1,707 cases.

The height of the surge struck the county about one month ago. The number of active cases – the department considers cases that do not result in death to be recovered after 30 days – is dropping.

On Dec. 8, there were 70 new cases, and on Dec. 9, there were 62 new cases. With those 132 removed from the list, as of Friday there were 1,077 cases in the county that the state would consider active.

There were seven more COVID-positive patients at Warren General Hospital in Friday’s data. There were patients on Friday and 26 on Thursday. On both days, there was one COVID patient using a ventilator and none in intensive care.