COLUMBUS, May 16 – The Ohio Department of Veterans Services has confirmed that eight residents at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent days and immediately have been moved to the Enhanced Care Unit of the facility.
On Thursday, OVH-Sandusky received notification that four of its residents had tested positive for COVID-19. All residents in the area – 78 total – were then tested that evening, including one other resident who also was showing symptoms. Although most of those results are still pending, four more positive residents were identified on Friday. All eight residents are receiving continuous care and are in stable condition.
“Like so many in America, we are now faced with COVID-19 in our Homes,” said Director Deborah Ashenhurst. “Fortunately, our administrative staff, nurses, doctors, and other professionals have prepared for this for more than three months.”
Prior to this development, the only confirmed case of coronavirus linked to either Home – the other state-run facility sits in southern Ohio in Georgetown – throughout this pandemic was a positive test result for an OVH-Sandusky staff member in mid-April. That person was hospitalized and has been recovering in self-quarantine.
Through Friday evening, the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky had 85 residents who were tested, 76 with pending results, with eight positives and one negative. The facility had 18 residents in the ECU and 113 in quarantine. OVH-Georgetown has no cases of COVID-19.
At present, there are no deaths related to coronavirus in either veterans Homes.
ODVS will be posting daily updates regarding COVID-19 testing in the Ohio Veterans Homes, with those figures available here. Also, you can find a full up-to-date chart here.
ODVS operates two Ohio Veterans Homes: OVH-Sandusky, which has a bed capacity of 319 in its nursing home, 206 for domiciliary residents, and 108 in memory care; and OVH-Georgetown, which has a bed capacity of 126 in its nursing home and 42 in memory care. The Sandusky facility dates back to 1888 and is one of the largest nursing homes in the state. All of the residents at the Ohio Veterans Homes served in the U.S. Armed Forces during periods of recognized conflict.
Find more information, visit Ohio Veterans Homes.
OVH has been able to increase its testing and quickly learn of results in Sandusky due to partnerships with the Firelands Regional Medical Center and the Erie County Department of Health (ECDH).
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