The Ketchikan Pioneer Home is one of six in Alaska caring for older residents. (Photo by KRBD)
UPDATE, 2 p.m. Friday: The state health department’s spokesperson says two more residents and one additional staff member have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, for a total of 13 residents and three staff affected by the outbreak.
Original story:
More than a dozen people have tested positive for COVID-19 in an outbreak at Ketchikan’s Pioneer Home. State health department spokesperson Clinton Bennett said in an email Thursday that 11 residents and two staff members had been diagnosed with the disease, with the latest testing positive on Wednesday.
Bennett says the outbreak has affected both residential floors of the 45-bed state-run assisted living facility. He says visitors are allowed inside the facility but are limited to residents’ rooms.
Bennett says the first case in the outbreak was identified on Monday and that none of the positive patients have been hospitalized or died from the disease. The health department spokesperson says Pioneer Home staff are continuing to monitor the situation and testing any resident or staff member with symptoms for COVID-19.
This story has been updated.
