Norovirus outbreak sickens nearly 40 staff and residents of Tacoma senior community

A norovirus outbreak has sickened 28 residents and 11 staff members at a Tacoma senior community.

Staff at Narrows Glen, located at 8201 6th Avenue in Tacoma, reported the outbreak to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department on Friday. Symptoms were first noticed on Thursday.

Symptoms of the easily spread disease can include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pains. They can start 12 hours to 48 hours after exposure, the health department said.

The health department was closed Friday and Monday for the Christmas holiday but is now responding to the outbreak, said spokesman Steve Metcalf.

“Narrows Glen is working with the health department and following our protocol about cleaning surfaces and preventing further spread by limiting contact among residents,” Metcalf said.

Most people with norovirus get better within one to three days, the health department said. No specific treatment for the disease exists.

Narrows Glen bills itself as a “resort style setting” on 15 acres. It’s owned by Toledo, Ohio-based Welltower, a real estate investment company that specializes in senior housing.

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Queries to both Narrows Glen and Welltower were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Norovirus has been in the news recently. It sickened more than 200 passengers on a Royal Caribbean ship during a Caribbean cruise in mid-December.

It also led to the closing of the entire school system of Eureka, California, last week.

Cox Media Group