Cedarhurst Senior Living residents awaiting COVID-19 test results

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cedarhurst Senior Living resident who tested positive for COVID-19 is under self isolation while all other residents are being quarantined in their apartments waiting for test results.

Officials from Cedarhurst say the positive result came back Thursday and the facility deployed a response team that included licensed nurses to administer the on-site tests to residents and staff Friday. 

"Cedarhurst’s proactive response in testing is due to partnerships secured with two private accredited laboratories in early March with two additional accredited laboratory partnerships acquired in the last 10 days," said Samantha Prinster, the Cedarhurst Senior Living director of communications.

Officials said the resident was tested after drawing a low fever.

"The resident remains at the community quarantined in her own apartment and presently has no symptoms," said Prinster said.

Cedarhurst officials have been in contact with Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services and are working closely with the facility to ascertain the origin of transmission and mitigate further spread.

The health department said they advised all senior living facilities to follow the CDC's guidelines.

• Identifying and excluding potentially infected staff members.
• Restricting visitation except in compassionate care situations such as end of life situations.
• Ensuring early recognition of potentially infected patients and implementing appropriate infection control measures.
• Cancel all group activities and communal dining.
• Implement active screening of residents and health care personnel for fever and respiratory symptoms.
• Restrict all volunteers and non-essential health care personnel (HCP).

Cedarhurst officials are not sure if the resident had been in contact with someone who had the virus or if they had traveled recently. Prinster said all employees must complete a symptoms screening at the start of their shift before entering the community. 

Cedarhurst also runs 10 other senior living locations around Missouri and Prinster said this is not the first case of COVID-19 in its facilities across Missouri.

Prinster did not mention which other Cedarhurst facilities have residents who have tested positive.

According to the Cedarhurst COVID-19 policy & procedures, any staff member who contracts COVID-19 will be asked to self-isolate in their home and will not be able to return to work until they have two negative COVID-19 tests and are asymptomatic for 72 hours. 

Officials from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services say family members should try and find alternative ways to reach their relatives such as phone calls, video chat, or email.

Visitors at long term care facilities are currently not allowed according to Gov. Mike Parson's Stay Home Missouri order.