Community Corner
Northborough Board Testing For Coronavirus At Senior-Living Facilities
It is anticipated that testing will take place in Northborough facilities and continue as needed over the coming weeks.
April 17, 2020
Update Regarding Increased Testing for Covid-19 And Long-Term Care-Facilities
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As the Pandemic continues into April more resources are being provided to the Commonwealth through the Baker-Polito Administration. These additional resources will be used to further help in the detection, prevention, and management of outbreaks. Long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks and this month we are seeing a significantly larger amount of testing at senior-living facilities. Previously, testing at long-term care facilities was very limited and was only reserved for individuals showing symptoms and those in extremely high-risk categories.
The Commonwealth’s Mobile Testing program, a partnership between the Department of Public Health, the National Guard, and the Broad Institute has greatly improved access for testing for long-term care facilities and as of April 13th has updated guidance to greatly encourage these facilities to conduct wide-spread testing. As testing of the approximately 38000 residents of these facilities across the state increases, we expect to see a surge in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 including Northborough, which is home to several facilities.
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It is important to understand this is not a reflection of the management and quality of these facilities. This pandemic has been a significant challenge and has stretched resources, including the limited amount of test kits. Only recently have these facilities received the necessary resources and test kits to properly access the extent of infections, especially those who are asymptomatic. It is anticipated that testing will take place in Northborough facilities and continue as needed over the coming weeks.
Contact Information:Casey Mellin, Health Agentvoice: 508-393-5009email: cmellin@town.northborough.ma.us
This press release was produced by the Town of Northborough. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
