Majority Of Hennessey Nursing Home Residents Test Positive For COVID-19

A nursing home in Kingfisher County is working to contain a cluster of COVID-19 cases among its residents and staff. 

The Hennessey Nursing & Rehab Center said on Thursday that 25 of its 34 residents have tested positive for the virus in the last five days. Six of its staff members have also been confirmed positive and other tests are pending. 

A post on the facility’s Facebook page said the virus “somehow” started spreading among residents and staff. The nursing home is “frantically” working to secure additional staffing. 

Visitation and communal dining at HNR has been closed since the start of the pandemic, according to facility administrator Jill Vincent. She said staff members wear full protective gear including medical-grade masks, face shields, gowns and gloves. 

“This is a tough, tough virus to address,” said Steven Buck, the President and CEO of Care Providers Oklahoma, an advocacy group for assisted living facilities. 

Even with extensive protective measures, Buck said, the virus can spread into nursing homes where there is increased community spread. 

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Kingfisher County’s infection rate of COVID-19 has fluctuated between “moderate” and “low” risk for the past several weeks. 

Last Friday, OSDH found the county’s infection rate to be 16.31 new cases per 100,000 people, the highest in the county in the past five weeks. 

“At some point in that transmission chain, it could impact someone who is vulnerable to the illness,” Buck said.