7 Coronavirus Cases Reported At Revere Senior Living Facility
REVERE (CBS) – Health officials in Revere said Thursday there are 33 positive coronavirus cases in the city and seven of them are residents of the same senior living facility.
The seven live at Jack Satter House on Revere Beach Boulevard. Five of the patients are hospitalized. One person died, though their official cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
"When you see a cluster like that, that really raised a red flag for us," Mayor Brian Arrigo said Thursday afternoon.
The mayor, in conjunction with the facility, ordered all 285 residents quarantined in their individual units.
"We want them to know that the city is here to protect them, to make sure that they're safe," Arrigo said of the residents, who range in age from 64 to 101.
"There's a lot of essential things that people need, and we have people going out, getting things, bringing it to the building," said Lou Woolf, President and CEO of Hebrew SeniorLife, the non-profit parent company of Jack Satter House.
"We started implementing social distancing and visitor restrictions over three weeks ago," Woolf said. "We are doing absolutely everything humanly possible."
Wayne Rose told WBZ-TV his mother, 88-year-old Virginia Rose Kasper, is one of the residents with coronavirus. He said she is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"She was very fatigued, and then she had the shortness of breath. Then came the fever," Rose said.
Rose said several of his family members are now feeling sick as well, but they have not yet been able to be tested.
"They're saying we can't get the test. I don't know why," he said. "Three of us have been living with her for a week and a half. NBA players are getting it. Is it a money thing?"
Rose said the complex had precautions in place, but he believes they could have done more.
"She lived in a building with about 300 people. They were screening people. But the only thing they were doing, none of them have masks, they would take your temperature. Then they'd give you a pen that 40 other people had touched," Rose said.
Holding a sign and blowing kisses outside of the building has become a daily ritual for Nate and Andy Lincoff to show their love to Andy's mom, Rose Brown.
WBZ-TV's Katie Brace reports
"She's right up there," said Andy. "Hi, mom. We miss you," Nate said.
At 100 years old, Rose doesn't want to catch anything especially the coronavirus. WBZ spoke to her on the phone as she stood by the window of the building.
"I am doing just fine, dear. I am keeping busy in the apartment. I do a lot of reading. I am playing solitaire, and cleaning house," Rose Brown said.
One of the residents who contracted COVID-19 lived on her floor.
"I am very, very concerned about that, but there's nothing we can do other than follow all the guidelines," said Andy.
Rose, who survived World War II, plans to keep away from everyone. When asked if she was worried she replied, "No, I am not."
"She's doing remarkably well. She really is. I am really proud of her. This is a very difficult situation," said Andy.
She plans to enjoy the daily view until she can hug her family. Right now, the quarantine is for 14 days. The mayor says the situation is fluid and that could change.
In total, there were 2,417 cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts and 25 reported deaths as of Thursday.
