Report shows COVID-19 cases in nursing homes

At least three Lincoln Parish nursing home residents — all of whom lived at Princeton Place — have died of the novel coronavirus, according to statistics released Monday by the Louisiana Department of Health.

The report lists the names of all adult nursing homes statewide that have at least one case of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Locally, the report shows Alpine Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation with one case among its residents; Princeton Place with six cases; and Ruston Nursing and Rehabilitation with one case.

Total COVID-19 cases reported among each nursing home’s staff show Alpine with seven reported cases, Princeton Place with six, and Ruston Nursing and Rehabilitation with one reported case.

Monday’s report marks the first time in more than a month that the state has made public which facilities have cases. Nursing homes are required to report COVID-19 cases to LDH.

Though The Arbor and The Terrace of Ruston also has several positive cases of COVID-19, the facility is not on the LDH list because it is not classified as a nursing home.

Meantime, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across Lincoln Parish wobbled a bit over the weekend. On Friday, LDH reported 122 known cases. On Saturday, the number dropped to 119 and on Sunday and Monday stayed steady at 121.

This isn’t the first time the statistics have wavered. Officials say the inconsistencies generally occur when a non-parish resident is counted in the Lincoln Parish tally.

The figures are supposed to reflect a person’s parish of residence only. Some 13 parish residents have died of COVID-19.

The LDH report shows a daily climb in the number of tests done for the virus. As of noon Monday, that figure stood at 1,217. That number reflects multiple tests that have been done on a single individual.

Statewide, LDH says 26,249 people have recovered from COVID-19. The department doesn’t list recoveries by parish.