Operator of Infected N. Cape May Nursing Home Issues Statement

NORTH CAPE MAY – Genesis HealthCare, the operator of the Victoria Manor nursing home, in North Cape May, issued a statement April 7 in response to the coronavirus outbreak inside the long-term care facility.
There has been one death, an 86-year-old male resident, and Genesis updated the number, from 27, to 28 others who work or live at the nursing home and are infected.
Dr. Richard Feifer, chief medical officer for Genesis, issued the following statement: 
“This is an unprecedented situation that many families are dealing with right now – regardless of the facility their loved one may be in across the country. No one ever thought that their elders would ever have to deal with a worldwide pandemic. We are not the only ones faced with dealing with how the virus is affecting our vulnerable population.   
As you know, COVID-19 is a rapidly evolving situation – and one that is being played out in communities, hospitals and nursing homes across the country and the world.  I have never witnessed anything like this pandemic.   
As a nation, we just do not know yet exactly how the virus is entering, so we stay as hyper-vigilant as we can, and as we learn more, we implement more and more safety precautions. For example, the recent Kirkland report released by the CDC, shows that people can be asymptomatic but carrying the virus and spreading it. In this instance, 57% of residents who initially tested positive were asymptomatic. It is a complex virus that is hard to detect and can take weeks to present itself.  By the time you have a positive test result, many may have already been exposed.  
That is why we have been so stringent on visitation restrictions and a whole host of other precautions. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began providing protocols and guidelines for the coronavirus, Victoria Manor has diligently followed them and in many cases, has gotten out in front of public health guidelines, adopting even more stringent infection precautions than were recommended at the time.  
We continue to follow to the letter the direction of the New Jersey Department of Health in an effort to contain and minimize the spread of the virus. We are also adhering to CDC and CMS guidelines and recommended protocols.  To date, the total number of positive cases at Victoria Manor is 16 residents and 12 staff members. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of these residents during this difficult time, especially the family of the one resident who passed away.     
I can assure you that we are working round the clock to keep our patients and residents healthy and as safe as possible. We are doing everything in our power – and everything medical experts know as of at this time – to protect our patients, residents and employees.”