TUPPER LAKE — After a second round of mass-testing at the Mercy Living Center nursing home, Adirondack Health says only one new resident tested positive with COVID-19.

Adirondack Health spokesman Matt Scollin said 16 of Mercy’s 51 residents and eight of its staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 by Thursday evening. A second round of testing on Wednesday turned up one more resident and no new staff members. He said he was glad the spread appears low after an outbreak was discovered at the facility last week.

“The least amount of spread that we see from this outbreak, that’s obviously a good thing,” Scollin said.

Mercy will test all its residents and staff again on Nov. 23, and Scollin said there will probably be an additional round of testing after that, to make sure there are no cases of COVID-19 left.

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Residents get treatment

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Of the 16 COVID-positive residents, Scollin said 14 are vaccinated and two are not. He said all eight staff are vaccinated.

Scollin said there have been no hospitalizations or deaths as a result of the outbreak as of Thursday evening. He said 10 of the 16 infected residents have been given monoclonal antibody treatments.

With a new shipment of the antibodies, Scollin said the facility has “more than enough” to give to everyone who needs it. He said these antibodies are given to certain people based on their medical histories, their oxygen saturation and if they have any symptoms.

“Symptoms continue to run the gamut,” Scollin said. “Some residents are doing great and they feel OK, others are feeling sick, but nothing at a level, currently, that would require hospitalization.”

He said residents sometimes have complex health histories and may be experiencing other health problems at the same time.

Mercy is keeping in touch with families, he said.

“The administrator at Mercy, Madeline (Toliver), mentioned how much she appreciates the concern that’s been expressed by families and the community,” Scollin said.

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Staffing stretched

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The nursing home entered into “outbreak” status last week when 14 residents and three staff tested positive for the virus in a round of mass-testing conducted after it was discovered a vaccinated staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

Last week, Adirondack Health CEO Aaron Kramer said 95% of Mercy’s total population is fully vaccinated.

Staff who test positive are all on leave until they test negative, Scollin said. The nursing home is relying on contract workers and staff traveling from Adirondack Medical Center to help out. Mercy has around 100 staff members, and Scollin said having just under 10% of Mercy’s staff out of work stretches an already thin workforce even tighter. He was asked if this causes burnout.

“I think the last year-and-a-half has resulted in burnout across our organization, across our communities, across the state, across the country and across the planet,” he said. “Everyone’s a little crispy now.

“But, it’s the job,” he continued. “We’re blessed with great nurses, great staff. They knew what they were getting into when they signed up to work in health care. … But we’d prefer to not be in outbreak status.”

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Visitations

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While a facility is in outbreak status, visitations are limited. Mercy makes some exceptions for compassionate end-of-life care. Family and friends can still call residents or talk virtually. They can also schedule window visits. Only medically necessary appointments are continuing for now.

Scollin said residents are dining in their rooms. Activities are being held in individual rooms or in socially distanced spaces, but he said there are no gatherings allowed. The salon is also restricted.