Zero COVID-19 cases at King County long term care facilities for first time since pandemic

This Sunday marks one year since the Kirkland Life Care Center reported the first COVID-19 outbreak in the country, but now the latest data are bringing new hope for the most vulnerable patients.

Deaths at nursing homes are down 78% nationwide.

In King County, last week was the first since the start of the pandemic that not a single case of COVID-19 was reported at long-term care facilities in the county.

A big reason behind the drop in deaths is because seniors are getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Everybody’s been vaccinated,” said Jack Bricker, a resident at Aegis Living Queen Anne Galer. Photos captured the day every single resident and staff member were vaccinated.

“It was a party,” said Kaylan Moore, the general manager at the facility. “It was a celebration. We did it and it was a big day. There were a couple of tears, me included,” she said.

Incredibly, Moore said the Queen Anne location has had zero COVID-19 cases among residents through the whole pandemic.

“There’s not a lot of communities that can say that, so we shout that out from the rooftops,” she said.

However, in King County, 60% of all COVID-19 deaths have been associated with long-term care facilities. Additionally, 85% of deaths have been among people 65 years and older.

“The whole last year of 2020 was a nightmare. No one can do nothing. We had to protect ourselves by staying in this building,” said Tina Thompson, a Seattle resident.

Thompson got her first shot on Friday. The Seattle Housing Authority is working with the Seattle Fire Department to bring the vaccine to vulnerable populations as part of the city’s mobile vaccination clinics.

“I just turned 65, so they called me,” Thompson said.

New numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show vaccination efforts are having a dramatic impact.

Death rates among U.S. nursing home residents plummeted from about 7,000 per week in late December to about 1,500 for the week ending Feb. 21—a drop of 78%.

“It feels really, really good. When we can focus on our elderly population who are really vulnerable, and we can focus on folks of color who’ve been hit really hard, that feels really good,” said Rod Brandon, director of housing for the Seattle Housing Authority.

For Brandon, the work is personal.

“I lost my father-in-law to COVID four weeks ago, and hearing the descriptions from my wife on how tough it is to watch someone go—it’s really gut-wrenching,” Brandon said.

He knows the effort is saving lives.

“That’s why this just feels great,” Brandon said.

Still, Seattle-King County Public Health Officer Jeff Duchin is warning people to stay cautious, particularly with the emerging variants of the coronavirus.

However, he also shared words of hope during a Friday Zoom press conference.

“A few more weeks of cautious vigilance and we may be able to put the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us,” Duchin said.

Cox Media Group