74 At Huntington Beach Nursing Home Have Coronavirus, 2 Die

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — While residents of Huntington Beach took to the streets to protest a stay-at-home order, a nursing facility bloomed with cases of coronavirus this month.

Around April 11, the first sign of coronavirus appeared at the Huntington Valley Healthcare Center, according to a spokesperson for that facility.

Just ten days later, they reported that 74 of their residents and staff had contracted the virus, 50 of them are residents.

Sarah Bates, a member of the center's administration team, reported that two residents died as a result of coronavirus: a 77-year-old and 79-year-old.

Bates of the center's administration team shared a statement with Orange County Register:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to their family of those who lost their lives from COVID-19. Our top priority remains the health and well-being of everyone in our facility," Bates wrote. "This incident underscores the service and sacrifices made by our dedicated team every day. We're grateful for their continued efforts."

There are currently 34 patients suffering coronavirus at that Huntington Beach facility, all in self-isolation. Fourteen more are hospitalized. All health care professionals, in and out of the building, are being monitored for any signs of the virus.

The facility has been on lockdown during this crisis, according to Bates.

There are 144 beds in the long term care skilled nursing facility, according to CA.gov. It was not made clear if the facility was full as of this report.

Earlier in the week, an Anaheim nursing home reported 18 new cases of coronavirus, with 15 patients testing positive for the disease.

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City News Service, Patch editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.