COVID-19 Case At Willoughby Senior Living Facility

Updated: 1 p.m., Thursday, March 26, 2020

A Willoughby resident, in a senior living facility, has been diagnosed with COVID-19, a spokesperson for the parent company confirmed.

The Breckenridge Village independent living resident was transferred to a local hospital for treatment, according to a statement from Ohio Living. There was no information given on the person's age or condition.

The facility has shut down all visitors and is responding to the situation, said spokesperson Melissa Dardinger.

"Just everything you can possibly think of, in terms of the cleaning, the disinfecting, the notifications of anybody in close contact," she said. "But mostly we’re following the guidelines set for by the local department of health, the ohio department of health, and the CDC, for all such cases."

Older adults are a high-risk group for COVID-19, and the facility had encouraged short visits, social distancing, and handwashing since early March, said Dardinger.

This is the second case of COVID-19 in an Ohio Living-operated facility in Northeast Ohio. A resident at Ohio Living Rockynol in Akron was also diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday.

Ohio Living operates 12 senior facilities in Ohio. Dardinger said there are no other confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their Ohio nursing homes.

“We are implementing all CDC precautions and guidelines for containment while working under the direction of the local department of health. We have been, and will continue to be, vigilant with infection control protective measures for all residents, patients and employees in the hope of minimizing impact on our campus,” the company said in its written statement.