Mercy Living Center In Tupper Lake (Enterprise file photo)

TUPPER LAKE — A non-resident nurse at Mercy Living Center in Tupper Lake tested positive for COVID-19 two weeks ago. After three rounds of COVID-19 testing, all of the nursing home’s staff and residents have tested negative.

Mercy Living Center Director Madeline Toliver, speaking to the Tupper Lake Village Board on Wednesday, said the nursing home is recovering from an outbreak. She defined an “outbreak” as when one or more staff or residents test positive for the virus.

Two weeks ago, one nurse, who isn’t a full-time staff member there, tested positive, according to Adirondack Health spokesman Matt Scollin. Adirondack Health oversees Mercy, as well as the Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake and the Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center.

After the nurse tested positive, the nursing home stopped allowing visitations, per state Department of Health guidelines. Toliver said the facility promoted outdoor visitations. In the following two weeks, there has been a series of three COVID-19 test rounds for both staff and residents.

Toliver said the results from rounds one and two have been all negative, which she was “thrilled” about. Scollin said after the results of those first two rounds, one part of the nursing home was able to reopen to visitors.

Scollin said Thursday that the results of the third round all came back negative, and the nursing home fully reopened to visitations on Thursday.

At Mercy, all but five residents are fully vaccinated — meaning the home has a 90% vaccination rate among residents, according to Scollin. Of those five holdouts, two plan to get vaccinated soon.

About 64% of Mercy staff are vaccinated, according to Scollin.

Toliver said Mercy Living Center is preparing for federal vaccination mandates. President Joe Biden announced that his administration would require all nursing home employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Toliver said she wished he waited for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to officially approve the vaccine, but she understands there are “positives and negatives” to this.

She anticipates all employees will need their first dose by Sept. 27.