An estimated 41 residents at one of the largest nursing facilities in Massachusetts have died after tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
A representative of Mary Immaculate Nursing/Restorative Center in Lawrence gave the figure Friday and said it came despite strict adherence to state and federal public health guidance.
"We share the community’s concern and heartbreak as we work tirelessly to mitigate the devastating toll the COVID-19 virus is having on frail seniors," said Karen Sullivan, a Mary Immaculate spokeswoman, in a written statement.
Mary Immaculate cares for up to 250 residents daily. All residents have been tested for COVID-19 and any positive cases have been isolated, Sullivan said.
According to the facility, 37 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 and are home recovering. The nursing home has called on clinical staff from its affiliated health system to help until their own staff members can return to work.
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Residents in nursing homes and elderly care facilities are among the hardest hit in the state by the outbreak -- long-term care facilities account for more than half of Massachusetts' death toll, which stood at 2,360 as of Thursday.
Just this week, officials in Brewster announced two-thirds of residents at the Pleasant Bay Nursing Center tested positive for the coronavirus. Meanwhile, nearly 70 residents and employees at another facility in Topsfield have reportedly contracted the illness.
