Six more residents at a Durango nursing home experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 have died, new information Tuesday showed.

The outbreak was first reported Nov. 23 at Four Corners Health Care Center, after three residents and two staff members tested positive.

Late last week, it was reported that 92 residents and 55 staff members had tested positive for the virus, and 12 residents had died. The center has about 100 residents.

On Tuesday, San Juan Basin Public Health reported the death toll is now at 18 people. Also, two more residents contracted the virus earlier in the week.

Annaliese Impink, spokeswoman for Four Corners Health Care Center, said 14 residents are actively sick with COVID-19 at the center.

“Fortunately, 63 residents at the center have recovered from the virus,” she said.

Impink said 13 staff members are positive for the virus and are at home quarantining for the recovery period.

“We have 34 staff members that have recovered and are back at work,” she said.

Impink’s numbers show a difference of eight staff members from SJBPH’s reporting.

Brian Devine with SJBPH said six of those cases are suspected COVID-19-positive cases without a lab-confirmed test. The discrepancy between the other two cases is likely a reporting time lag, Devine said.

Four Corners Health Care Center has been following the guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and state and local health departments, Impink said.

“We have partnered with the San Juan Basin health department and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment who have reviewed our protocols and provided additional guidance and direction as we manage the risk of spread,” she said. “We continue to screen our staff every shift, including temperature checks, and we screen all vendors and visitors upon entrance to the center.

“We are maintaining our cohorts based on the guidance from the various agencies and we work closely with San Juan Basin Public Health department to share data and discuss infection control approaches,” she said. “We anxiously await the vaccine clinics, which we hope will be the beginning of the end of the pandemic.”

Impink said the center is also following physicians’ orders related to the care of specific residents.

“Our clinical support teams, including the local health department, have been actively involved with reviewing our plans of care and making suggestions aimed at recovering residents and patients as quickly as possible,” she said.

The CDPHE did not respond to a request for comment.

Liane Jollon, executive director of SJBPH, said more than a third of the estimated 306,000 COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. have occurred at long-term care facilities and nursing homes, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

“SJBPH acknowledges the toll COVID-19 has taken on older adults in long-term care facilities,” she said. “With these devastating outcomes, we all need to do our part, by wearing face masks, social distancing and avoiding social gatherings, to limit spread in our communities to help prevent COVID from finding its way to these very vulnerable residents.”

Jollon said residents and staff members at nursing homes are high-priority recipients for vaccines.

“We are looking forward to learning more about the roll out of the federal public-private partnership to vaccinate residents and staff here in Colorado,” she said. “It cannot come soon enough for residents and their families.”

According to previous reports, Four Corners Health Care Center is working closely with the CDPHE’s Residential Care Strike Team and infection prevention specialists.

In a previous interview, CDPHE said the center had prepared to respond to a positive case by following the public health guidance, such as cohorting residents and staff members.

“Unfortunately, Four Corners experienced a number of cases in their memory care unit, and as many other facilities have experienced, caring for residents with COVID-19 in a dedicated memory care unit can be challenging to control the virus due to the significant cognitive impairments of those who reside in the unit,” the CDPHE public affairs specialist said. “Four Corners worked with the Residential Strike Team to request and was connected with supplemental staff to assist in meeting the needs of the residents in their community.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com

This story has been updated to provide the latest numbers on COVID-19 positive cases and deaths for this outbreak.