8 Coronavirus Deaths At Natick's MaryAnn Morse Senior Home

NATICK, MA —Eight residents at the Mary Ann Morse senior facility in Natick have now died of coronavirus, officials reported on Thursday. The pandemic is hitting many senior care facilities across Massachusetts hard, with close to half of the state's 1,245 deaths involving long-term care facilities.

Last week, MaryAnn Morse reported three deaths. With an increase of five deaths, the total number of cases at the facility has risen to 97. That includes 61 residents and 36 staff members. That rise comes after the National Guard visited the Natick facility on Wednesday to test every resident and staff member.

The National Guard also tested some residents and staff at the MaryAnn Morse-affiliated Heritage At Framingham facility on Tuesday. Five residents and one staff member have tested positive for coronavirus so far. There had been no deaths connected to the Framingham site as of Wednesday.

Elsewhere, at least one resident has died at the Shillman House senior living facility in Framingham. That facility is not affiliated with MaryAnn Morse. On Thursday, 13 deaths were reported at a Worcester nursing home.

Statewide, there have been 610 coronavirus deaths at long-term care facilities. And 4,163 of the state's nearly 30,000 positive coronavirus tests have been in either residents or workers at long-term care facilities, according to data released on Wednesday.