Coronavirus kills 42 at Virginia nursing home, infects at least 127 elderly

A medical worker administers a test for a COVID-19 at a facility in Camden, N.J., Wednesday, April 1, 2020.The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.(Matt Rourke/AP)

A coronavirus outbreak at a Virginia nursing home and rehabilitation center, one of the worst clusters in the nation so far, has infected nearly every resident, killing 42.

At least 127 elderly people out of the 163 residents of the Canterbury Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in recent weeks, according to its medical director Dr. James Wright. Another 35 staff members at the facility in Henrico County have also been diagnosed with the fast-spreading illness.

He added that at least two people have died in the last three days.

“It’s been tough. We were surprised by how quickly this went through,” Wright told Reuters on Monday.

Some employees have refused to come in to work out of fear they will get sick while equipment shortages sparked by the pandemic have only worsened an already devastating situation, he added.

“It’s a battle that at times we feel like we’re losing," he said. "It’s a battle that we have to fight every day and night, seven days a week.”

Wright said the facility staff did the “best we could” in preparing for the virus, blaming a general lack of funding for publicly supported nursing homes, which were already struggling ahead of the global pandemic.

In a press conference Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam said the outbreak at Canterbury Rehab is among 97 others known across the state. Of those, 53 are in long-term care facilities.

As of Tuesday morning, Virginia reported 5,274 cases of coronavirus, which has so far killed 141 people statewide. Globally, the virus has infected nearly 2 million with a total of 120,449 dead, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.