Latest COVID-19 Nursing Home Test Numbers In Madison

MADISON, NJ - Time is ticking down on the universal testing of COVID-19 in nursing homes as the Department of Health continues to release shifting numbers.

The most recent total stands at 5,721 deaths that have been spread across 21,081 cases in 536 facilities. Or maybe it is 5,825 deaths is you include the 104 self-reported staff numbers. Or it could be the 4,871 lab-confirmed deaths that supposedly account for both long-term care patients and staff.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about new coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

It is this shifting of the data and inconsistent tallying of the numbers that has drawn own the detractors of Gov. Phil Murphy's administration.

According to the latest data released May 27:

• Sunrise of Madison has 10 infections among residents and nine among staff. The facility also has five listed deaths among patients and none among staff.
• Pine Acres Healthcare and Rehab/Convalescent Center had 45 reported resident infections and 12 among staff. The facility has lost eight patients and one staff member.

The numbers have been widely scrutinized as the self reporting system and confirmed numbers and lack of universal testing has been a concern. Senator Joe Pennacchio has been critical of the Murphy administration for their handling of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities and the way in which the data has been handled.

“Nursing home residents are paying dearly for actions taken by the Administration,” said Pennacchio. “New data indicates that since the outbreak, one in 10 residents of senior care facilities have died from COVID-19. The real number may actually be higher, much higher because statistics don’t include long-term patients who died after being transferred to hospitals. Also not included in the numbers are staff members who perished while taking care of residents in these facilities. The health department’s recording practices obscure the loss of life among our seniors, but cannot erase the reality.”

Statewide, almost 12,000 people have died, and long-term care patients may account for as many as 6,000, Pennacchio said.

Murphy said that stemming the deaths in these facilities, among residents and staff is something his administration is working very hard on.

"There are several hundred thousand people's lives we're still trying to save as we speak," Murphy said. "And at the same time we mourn the extraordinary loss."

Part of those efforts include a plan includes testing all residents and staff at long-term care facilities. It will require all residents and staff at long-term care facilities to be tested no later than the end of May, with follow-up testing happening no longer than one week later.

In Morris County there are 1,307 cases are spread among the 42 impacted facilities. There have been 445 resident deaths at these facilities as reported by the New Jersey Department of Health. This week the staff infections are at 600 with three reported deaths.

The largest outbreak in Morris County remains at the Lincoln Park Care Center. The report shows 182 cases, up from 179, were logged there and out of those there were 64 deaths in patients. There were 74 staff infections but no deaths listed.

Other reports have shown a particularly horrifying trend.

A report about a Warren County facility revealed a woman who fought to save her father from what she says was mismanagement of his care for one and infamously, Andover Rehabilitation and Subacute Care set up a "makeshift morgue" to deal with an overflow of bodies over Easter weekend. The facility, which had numerous complaints and penalties levied at it in the past was recently fined $220,000 and is now being sued by families of patients.

Pennacchio is calling for a Senate Select Committee to investigate the Executive Branch's handling of the pandemic after a report the Administration has altered the total of COVID-related nursing home deaths.

"It is a disturbing and ineffective attempt to cover up the extent of an ongoing tragedy that has wreaked havoc in nursing homes," said Pennacchio after a published report that the state had altered its accounting of virus deaths in senior facilities.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.