Staff who worked at long-term care facilities in the Seattle area while they were sick contributed to the spread of the coronavirus, federal health officials say. At least 30 coronavirus deaths have been linked to Life Care Center in nearby Kirkland.
Life Care officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the findings. Long into the outbreak, facility officials said they didn’t have enough tests for residents and that staff had gone untested.told The Associated Press
“We were all eating, drinking, singing and clapping to the music,” Pat McCauley, who was there visiting a friend, told the AP. “In hindsight, it was a real germ-fest.” Infected staff members included those working in physical therapy, occupational therapy and nursing and nursing assistants.Researchers who have studied nursing home workers say the jobs are low paying, with many earning minimum wage. Many employees don’t get paid when they are out sick, they said.
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