Two more Arbor Terrace Of Knoxville residents have died of COVID-19 as outbreak continues – Knoxville News Sentinel

Two more residents of a Knoxvilleassisted living facility have died and one more staff member has fallen ill after an outbreak of COVID-19 at an assisted living facility.

As of Monday, six residents have died over the course of the outbreak that started in lateOctober, according to Karen Emerson, executive director of Arbor Terrace of Knoxville.

Over the course of the outbreak, more than 30 residents have been ill from the disease. Twenty-one staff members also have been sick, according to Emerson's Monday morning update.

Arbor Terracediscovered its first COVID-19 case Oct. 25, less than a weekafter the facility began allowing visitors into the facility.

More: COVID-19 outbreak at Arbor Terrace of Knoxville assisted living kills four

Emersonsaid the most recent staff member to fall ill was an Arbor Companyregional corporate nurse who hadbeen supporting the Knoxville assisted living community for several weeks.

"We pray for every family who has suffered a loss," she said. "Our Arbor Terrace staff are also grieving. For the past 23 years, we have proudly supported and loved the residents and families of this community, and these losses are devastating to us.

The Arbor Terrace of Knoxville assisted living facility, located in the Cedar Bluff area of Knoxville. Pictured on Friday, November 13, 2020.(Photo: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel )

Emerson said the facilitybegan quarantining residents in March and conducted daily symptom screening, required protective masks for all residents and staff, enhanced cleaning procedures and instituted regular testing.

It had stopped allowing visitors, but relaxed the policy to allow two pre-registered, scheduled visitors at a time for timed visits on Oct. 19, after Tennessee rolled back nursing home visitor bans on Oct. 1.

Six days later, the first case was discovered.

Despite having a pandemic plan in place and our heightened efforts as the situation has evolved, this is a disease that disproportionately impacts the elderly and those with severe underlying medical conditions, Emerson previously wrote in a statement to Knox News. We are navigating uncharted waters caring for those most at risk and our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who is impacted.

In recent days, Knox County has seen adramatic increase in COVID-19 cases. A record number of Knox County residents, 84,are in the hospital and 131 people who live in Knox County have died of the disease.Since the start of November, 26 people have died of COVID-19.With two weeks of the month remaining, November has already surpassed October's total of 23COVID-19 deaths.

"I can tell you that our numbers are trending in the wrong direction," Knox County Health Department DirectorDr. Martha Buchanan said last week."Our new cases per day are climbing. Our hospitalizations are increasing. And most troubling, so are deaths."

COVID-19 has proven incredibly deadly for America's elderly population.

Around 87,000 COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been reported among residents and employees of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities,according to a New York Times database.

This figure accounts for nearly 40% of the countrys coronavirus deaths, emphasizing how fatal this disease is for older Americans with underlying health conditions.

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Two more Arbor Terrace Of Knoxville residents have died of COVID-19 as outbreak continues - Knoxville News Sentinel