Four people at Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Knightdale have tested positive for the coronavirus, the first outbreak of COVID-19 at a long-term care facility in Wake County.
“We’re concerned about the potential for COVID-19 to spread rapidly among residents at the facility, because many of the residents are older and have additional health conditions that put them at risk of serious illness if they contract the virus,” said Wake County Medical Director Dr. Kim McDonald.
Those infected were two patients and two nurses. The two patients who tested positive for COVID-19 are currently receiving treatment at WakeMed Health and Hospitals.
To get a better sense of the impact of the virus on the 80-bed facility, Wake County Public Health team is testing patients and staff members who came in close contact with the people who have the virus. It will likely take 7-10 days to get the test results back, according to county officials.
Until then, public health is advising Wellington Rehabilitation and Healthcare that staff wear personal protective equipment at all times, practice appropriate social distancing and frequently clean surfaces with disinfectant.