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Five more coronavirus deaths reported at south Salem assisted living facility

An image of the coronavirus from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Long-term care facilities continue to drive new deaths from the coronavirus, and two new Marion County workplaces, including Oregon State Hospital, now have active outbreaks.

Five residents at Farmington Square Assisted Living, 960 Boone Rd SE, have died in the past week according to an Oregon Health Authority report released Wednesday. That brings the death toll to six since facility administrators reported their first case of the virus in late June.

The facility now has 16 employees and 15 residents who have tested positive for Covid, spokesman John Heitkemper said Wednesday. Last week, they reported 13 residents and five staff with the virus, and one death.

That makes the facility the second-largest active outbreak in a long-term care facility in either Marion or Polk county, according to an Oregon Health Authority report released Wednesday.

Farmington is licensed for 122 beds but currently has fewer residents because several cottages are vacant and being renovated, Heitkemper said. The reported cases have been confined to one cottage in the facility, with dedicated staff working only in that cottage.

Workers are “continually retesting all residents and staff in coordination with the local health department,” he said in an email.

Brookstone Alzheimer’s Care Center in south Salem saw an additional case in the last week, bringing its total to 67. It’s the site of the deadliest active outbreak at a long-term care facility statewide, where 13 people have died.

Capitol Manor in west Salem reported three more cases in the last week bringing its total to eight. The facility hasn’t reported any deaths from Covid.

Avamere Court at Keizer didn’t report any additional cases in the last week and remains at three.

Hidden Lakes Independent Living is the most recent long-term care facility to be marked resolved by OHA. An outbreak is considered resolved if no new cases surface in the 28 days after the most recent person began showing symptoms.

Marion County reported two new workplace outbreaks in the last week, one at the Oregon State Hospital.

The state report says five people at Oregon State Hospital have tested positive for the virus in the current outbreak, which began on July 13. The hospital previously reported several cases of the virus among employees in April.

No hospital patients have tested positive for Covid, according to a July 29 update on the hospital website, but 10 employees have contracted the virus to date. A hospital spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a phone call or emailed questions Wednesday afternoon seeking clarification about the timeline of staff cases and information about how many employees and patients have been tested.

The Salem campus has the capacity to serve up to 554 people at a time, according to the hospital’s website. Between its campus in Salem and the one in Junction City, the Oregon State Hospital employs more than 2,000 people.

CabDoor, a cabinet maker in Salem, reported seven cases in the last week.

Andersen Hay and Grain Co. Inc. in Aurora, MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility and BrucePac, both in Woodburn, didn’t report any additional cases in the last week and remain at five, seven and five, respectively.

Salem Health reported five additional cases in the last week, bringing its total to 25. The Oregon State Penitentiary reported one additional case and has the largest workplace outbreak in the state with 185 cases.

The Amazon fulfillment center in Salem reported seven additional cases in the last week, bringing its total to 18.

NORPAC reported one additional case in the last week, bringing its total to 17.

Truitt Bros. in west Salem reported one additional case in the last week bringing its total to nine. No other Polk County workplaces have active outbreaks.

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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.