Good afternoon, Village at Marymount Families, Friends, and Staff. This is Sue Nall the executive director.
We had a Villa St. Joseph staff member test positive for COVID on June 27. We also were notified by two other staff members that they also tested positive but neither was in the building during the two-day contact tracing review time frame.
As a result of this positive case, today we tested all first floor residents. Staff who worked that unit must test one time weekly for the next two weeks if they are up to date with their vaccinations. Staff members not up to date with vaccine status must test twice weekly for the next two weeks.
All staff working on the first floor must wear an N95 mask and face shield for the next two weeks.
Our COVID update since March 2020: Villa St. Joseph has 1 Active staff and or Resident Cases. We had a total of 201 resident or staff cases. Memory Care Assisted Living at Villa St Joseph has 0 active Resident or Staff cases and a cumulative total of 14 cases. Marymount Place has 0 Active Resident or Staff cases — and a cumulative total of 35 resident/staff cases.
I’m hearing the Food and Drug Administration is looking at the possibility of updating COVID vaccines. While some scientists hoped the new coronavirus vaccine, which combines existing formulation with the formula targeting Omicron, would be effective, others have doubts about the results.
Existing vaccines are based on the version of the SARS that originally emerged in Wuhan, China, in 2019. These vaccines are a poor match to current Omicron strains. As a result, the vaccines now offer only short-lived protection from infection — although they are holding up against severe disease.
This week, an advisory panel to the FDA plans to convene and discuss whether COVID vaccines should be updated — and what the upgraded vaccines should look like. Stay tuned for the latest vaccine developments!
Please continue to take appropriate precautions to protect yourself against COVID when socializing. While we encourage you to visit your loved ones, please be truthful when answering the COVID questions. Do not visit if you have symptoms of, or have been exposed to, COVID. Stay safe everyone!