Health officials in Norton County, Kansas, have identified a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that's infected an entire nursing home facility.
On Monday, the local health department issued a press release announcing that the Andbe Home conducted tests among its residents, discovering that all 62 residents had contracted the coronavirus. Of those, 10 people have died.
The officials also noted that one additional person is hospitalized, and the other 51 residents are being treated at the nursing home facility. Some employees also tested positive, and other staffers will soon be tested.
"Norton County Health Department has been working with the Andbe Home, Norton County Hospital and KDHE regarding this outbreak," read the press release. "Steps are being taken to prevent any further outbreak including quarantining residents in their rooms and not allowing outside visitors into the facility."
According to data compiled by The New York Times, there have been 8.2 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with 220,058 deaths, as of Tuesday morning.
There were 70,451 new cases of coronavirus on Friday, the highest daily case count since July, the Times’ database shows. The Midwest has been particularly hard hit in recent months.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the rise in cases is “not a good sign as you’re entering into the colder weather,” advising Americans to consider canceling family gatherings for Thanksgiving.
"That is, unfortunately, a risk, when you have people coming from out of town, gathering together in an indoor setting," he told host Norah O’Donnell on CBS Evening News at the time. "It is unfortunate, because that's such a sacred part of American tradition — the family gathering around Thanksgiving. But that is a risk."
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