Thirteen people have tested positive for coronavirus at Parkville’s Oak Crest Senior Living Community, company officials confirmed this week.
Five of the retirement community’s 2,100 residents and eight of its 1,300 employees have tested positive since Erickson Living, the Catonsville-based company that manages the community, announced its first positive case of coronavirus in late March, according to Erickson Living spokesman Dan Dunne.
Residents who have tested positive are isolated to their apartments and “receiving appropriate care and treatment,” Dunne wrote in an emailed response.
Those known to have been in contact with residents or employees who have contracted the COVID-19 infection have been notified and asked to self-quarantine and self-monitor for 14 days, Dunne said.
Residents at Oak Crest have access to telemedicine appointments with physicians at the community’s on-site medical center if they develop symptoms, Dunne added.
The 21234 ZIP code in which Oak Crest is located has the second-highest concentration of coronavirus casesin Baltimore County, with 162 positive tests as of Tuesday, April 21, according to data from the Maryland Department of Health.
Dunne said staff members providing face-to-face care to residents are wearing personal protective gear, including surgical masks, eye protection, gloves and gowns; all employees have been provided face masks, he said.
Staff members who reported experiencing symptoms were asked to stay home and call their primary care physician and Oak Crest’s Employee Health and Wellness Center, Dunne said.
Prior to the confirmed cases, Oak Crest had prohibited nonessential visitors and closed all dining rooms, and has established a “concierge program" to deliver coffee, tea, snacks and toiletries to residents to encourage social distancing, Dunne said.
He added that since the stay-at-home order issued by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, residents are remaining in their apartments.
“We continue to do everything in our power to prevent the spread of the virus anywhere on campus by carefully reviewing all CDC guidelines and implementing measures that meet or exceed their recommendations,” Dunne wrote in an email.