Coronavirus

6 Staff Members at Holyoke Soldiers' Home Test Positive for Coronavirus Again After Recovering

The employees had previously been cleared to return to work at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, Massachusetts, after recovering from COVID-19, but have tested positive for the virus a second time

HOLYOKE, MA – APRIL 29: An American flag flies at half-mast outside the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home on April 29, 2020 in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In one of the deadliest known COVID-19 outbreaks at a long-term care center in the U.S., more than 70 residents have reportedly died at the veteran living facility as dozens more residents and employees have tested positive for the virus. (Photo by Matthew Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
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Six employees at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke who had previously been cleared to return to work after recovering from COVID-19 tested positive for the virus for a second time this week, officials said.

All six employees tested positive for the virus months ago when the outbreak began. Each was considered "clinically recovered," Brooke Karanovich, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Executive Office for Health and Human Services, told Masslive.com.

None was showing symptoms prior to the most recent positive test result and they were sent home "out of an abundance of caution," she said.

A resident of the veterans' care facility who had recovered from COVID-19, but started showing symptoms again, tested positive for a second time earlier this week. A second test on that resident given Wednesday came back negative.

The virus is blamed for the deaths of 76 veterans at the home, one of the worst outbreaks at a long-term care facility in the country.

Copyright The Associated Press
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