State Reports 9 Coronavirus Deaths At Berkeley Nursing Home

BERKELEY, NJ — Nine people have died from the new coronavirus at the Crystal Lake Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, state officials reported Monday. More people have died from the virus there than at any other longterm care facility in Ocean County, according to the State.

The New Jersey Department of Health released its first public count of coronavirus cases and deaths in long-term care facilities. Deaths include those who tested positive, people with pending test results and respiratory-illness deaths for which COVID-19 testing wasn't performed.

Facilities report case totals to officials, so they may not reflect real-time data. The publicly released numbers don't differentiate residents and staff.

Crystal Lake reported 73 positive cases, which is also a county high. The Leisure Chateau Care and Rehab Center in Lakewood has Ocean County's second-highest death count at seven people, according to officials. Hampton Ridge Healthcare and Rehab in Toms River has the next-highest number of cases at 61, according to the State.

The Ocean County Health Department has reported 354 coronavirus cases in Berkeley as of Monday afternoon. The numbers indicate that 20.6 percent of cases come from the Crystal Lake facility.

The State reported four cases and no deaths at the Tallwoods Care Center. State officials didn't report cases at any other Berkeley longterm care facility.

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The NJDOH ordered facilities to curtail visitors March 14. Longterm care facilities must also create outbreak plans that include clear policies for notifying residents, staff and family members when coronavirus cases have been identified in their facilities.

"The Department of Health is working on a statewide plan to assist nursing homes experiencing large outbreaks and shortages of staff and equipment," NJDOH spokesperson Dawn Thomas said in an email to Patch. "We are surveying their status including current census, available beds, ability to cohort staff and patients, physical layout, supplies, staffing and other resources they might need."

According to officials, 425 longterm care facilities in New Jersey have had outbreaks, totaling 10,744 cases and 1,779 deaths.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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