For Harvey County Now
The Harvey County Health Department, in conjunction with Kidron Bethel Village, has confirmed a cluster of COVID-19 cases at the Kidron facility in North Newton.
The cluster includes six residents in health care and assisted living, as well as three staff members. The individuals confirmed to have COVID-19 were asymptomatic at the time of testing. They have been isolated. The source of exposure remains under investigation.
“We are grateful that all residents, including those who tested positive, are not showing any symptoms at this point, and we will continue to monitor all residents closely,” said Blair Loganbill, Kidron Bethel Village director of nursing. “We immediately employed mitigation strategies to prevent transmission, as our focus remains on the health and well-being of our residents and employees.”
Cases were identified through precautionary testing of all health care and assisted living residents and staff on Oct. 19, following the identification of a staff positive case on Oct. 17. Testing included 81 residents and 136 staff. Residents in health care and assisted living had been in precautionary quarantine since the staff positive identification.
Kidron Bethel, along with the Health Department, will regularly monitor the health of staff and residents.
“Our long-term care partners in Harvey County have done an incredible job implementing safety precautions and monitoring for COVID-19 symptoms from the start,” said Harvey County Health Department Director Lynnette Redington. “We recognize the challenges facing our long-term care communities, and will work together to keep staff and residents healthy.”
The cluster will be considered active until there are 28 consecutive days – two incubation periods – without positive cases.
This is the third COVID-19 cluster identified to date in a long-term care facility in Harvey County. The two previously announced facilities no longer have active clusters.
