Coronavirus Reported At Bel Air Health And Rehabilitation Center

BEL AIR, MD — Multiple cases of the new coronavirus have been reported at Bel Air Health and Rehabilitation Center. News of the coronavirus at the care center on Macphail Road comes on the heels of a deadly outbreak at Forest Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center, which is overseen by the same company, Sava Senior Care.

At Bel Air Health and Rehabilitation Center, WBAL reported 10 residents and one staff member had tested positive for COVID-19, and one resident was in the hospital with the illness Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the Sava Senior Care told Patch Tuesday that the company had put measures in place to keep residents and staff safe after an outbreak at its Forest Hill facility resulted in the death of one resident and hospitalization of two others.

By Wednesday, WBAL reported two residents had died from the Forest Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center, one resident was hospitalized, 16 other residents had tested positive and were being treated at the facility and 16 staff had also tested positive for the virus.

"We are working diligently to take heightened precautions" and "doing everything in our power to protect our residents and staff," Sava Senior Care spokeswoman Anneliese Impink said in a statement to Patch.

Staff members are given temperature screenings before every shift, and outside health care professionals are also screened before they come into the facility, Impink said. Workers are given appropriate personal protective equipment, she added.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated information and education to the center, staff, patients, residents and families, as updates become available," she said.

Cases of the virus at both facilities were confirmed in mid-April, The Aegis reported Wednesday.

Harford County has 267 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Wednesday, April 22, according to the Maryland Department of Health. That was an increase of 35 since Tuesday, with one additional death since then, bringing the county's death toll from the virus to two.

The most cases in the county are in the 20150 ZIP code (Forest Hill), which has 47 cases as of Wednesday, according to the Harford County Department.

Next is the 21040 ZIP code (Edgewood), with 46 cases.

The third highest number of cases in Harford County is in the 21014 ZIP code (Bel Air North), with 42 cases.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced new regulatory requirements Sunday requiring nursing homes to inform residents, their families and representatives about cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, in their facilities. In addition, cases must be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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