Providence Care Center reports new cases

SANDUSKY — Providence Care Center in Sandusky continues to get new cases of COVID-19 and has not yet been able to get past its outbreak, the Erie County Health Department said Friday. Also Friday, Erie County's health commissioner, Pete Schade, explained why some Providence employees who have tested positive for coronavirus are still allowed to keep working. Providence Care Center had 63 total COVID-19 cases on Friday, with 41 residents and 22 staff testing positive, said Ashley Franks, an epidemiologist for the Erie County Health Department. That's 18 new cases since Wednesday, when the health department reported 45 cases, seven staffers and 38 residents. Providence has had four coronavirus deaths and one hospitalization. Schade has praised the response to the outbreak by Providence Care Center, saying that the nursing home has followed all of the health department's orders and saying the nurses there are continuing to care for patients while at risk themselves. An anonymous tip to the Register called in Friday alleged that Providence is allowing employees to go back and forth between the COVID-19 isolation unit and other parts of the building, and that Providence is allowing employees who have tested positive to keep working there. Schade said he has no reason to believe employees are going back and forth from the isolation ward to other parts of the nursing home. Providence is being inspected by the health department, he said. "We monitor them multiple times a day," he said. But it is true that some Providence employees have been allowed to keep working there after testing positive. That's a practice permitted by health authorities under certain rules, he said. All of the employees who have tested positive who are still working at Providence do not have any symptoms, are working only in the COVID-19 wing and are wearing personal protective equipment, Schade said. "That's a bona fide practice that the CDC has allowed to do across the nation. I don't know what we would do if all of those people are restricted," Schade said. "They would not have enough staff." As of Friday, Erie County had 708 total COVID-19 cases, up 17 from Wednesday, and 32 COVID-19 deaths. Five COVID-19 patients were being treated Friday at Firelands Regional Medical Center, a relatively small number. Sandusky County had 469 cases and 17 deaths as of Friday, while Ottawa County had 432 cases and 28 deaths and Huron County had 459 cases and six deaths. As of Friday, Ohio had a total of 113,046 cases and 3,955 deaths. The state reported 1,043 new cases and 26 new deaths Friday. By Friday, the U.S. had 5,609,167 cases and 174,967 deaths. The world had 22,792,475 cases and 795,626 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins tracking website. The CDC said the U.S. had 44,864 new cases and 1,074 new deaths Friday.