At an Arlington assisted-living facility, 44 residents and staff have tested positive for the coronavirus since Tuesday, officials said Sunday as the county reported 77 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths.
The Arlington Fire Department’s COVID-19 Strike Team tested all employees and residents at the Meadowbrook Memory Care Community this week after learning an employee had tested positive the week before.
A total of 30 residents and 14 employees tested positive for the coronavirus and 59 were negative. Nine tests were pending, Arlington Fire Department Lt. Richard Fegan said.
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While they were at the facility, the strike team handed out personal protective equipment and implemented infection control measures.
The city’s public health authority is working with Tarrant County Public Health and the state on an operations sustainment plan for the facility, where three residents have died in recent days.
COVID-19 is not likely to be the factor in two of the deaths, Fegan said.
“We appreciate the joint effort between TCPH Local Health Authority Dr. Catherine Colquitt and City of Arlington Health Authority Dr. Cynthia Simmons to review infection control measures at this facility and help control this outbreak,” said Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja in a written statement. “We deeply regret the loss of life, and we extend our condolences to their families,” he said.
Tarrant County Public Health also announced two deaths and 77 additional cases of the coronavirus in the county on Sunday.
The deaths included a Fort Worth man in his 60s and a Benbrook woman in her 70s. Both had underlying health conditions.
New cases were reported in Arlington, Bedford, Euless, Everman, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Mansfield and Sansom Park. Three cases have not been assigned a city.
Tarrant County has had a total of 6,150 cases of the coronavirus, including 178 deaths and 2,692 recoveries.
*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.
**County totals below include all 32 North Texas counties, not just Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant.
