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Coronavirus Outbreak: 17 Deaths Reported At Centennial Healthcare Center In Greeley

GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4) — Officials at Centennial Healthcare Center in Greeley say 32 residents have tested positive for coronavirus. A total of 21 residents have died at the center. Officials said 17 of the residents who died tested positive for COVID-19 and four others were not tested after they died.

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Officials said they are providing PPE to staff and residents and working closely with the local health department to prevent the virus from spreading. The center is checking the temperature of staff members before each shift and restricting visitation based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We know that this is an unsettling and scary time for our residents and their family members. We understand and greatly appreciate family members' concern for their loved ones and are doing all we can to keep our residents safe and protected,"Annaliese Impink, spokeswoman for Centennial Healthcare Center, stated. "We will continue to update family members in the coming days as new information becomes available or as circumstances change. We are working closely with the health authorities to follow their guidance and have been 100% transparent with all information released to the authorities, family members and the wider public, while maintaining the dignity and privacy of each of our residents."

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is reporting coronavirus outbreaks at 78 residential and non-hospital health care facilities. CDPHE is not naming the individual facilities. More than half of the state's 329 coronavirus deaths are among people over the age of 80.

The concern for this demographic has not only gotten the attention of the governor, who said Friday safety measures remain essential at these locations including limiting guests. But the White House Coronavirus Task Force also addressed the issue that same day.

"We do believe there is a relationship between age and seriousness of the disease," Dr. Deborah Birx said, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator. "Not to say there aren't younger people […] but it's a small piece with serious disease."

For the latest COVID-19 data in Colorado, visit covid19.colorado.gov/case-data.

RELATED: Latest Updates On The Coronavirus Outbreak In Colorado

 

 

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