HAYWARD, Calif. (KRON) — A new state report shows more than 200 California nursing homes have COVID-19 cases.
34 of those facilities are in the Bay Area across seven counties.
“We’ve been congratulating ourselves in California for having flattened the curve but social distance is a luxury in a nursing home the same as it is in a prison,” Mike Dark said.
Dark is a staff attorney with california advocates for nursing home reform.
He says the lack of attention to nursing home residents — who are the most vulnerable — as well as workers at these facilities has allowed the virus to rapidly spread.
In the Bay Area, the Gateway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hayward leads the region with more than 102 cases among it’s staff and patients.
Other hard hit nursing homes are:
- Canyon Springs Post-Acute Care in San Jose – 64 cases
- Valley House Rehabilitation Center in Santa Clara – 63 cases
- Central Gardens in San Francisco – 62 cases
The state data does not include deaths.
Although it is known, 13 residents have died at the Hayward facility prompting an investigation by the Alameda County district attorney’s office.
Dark is also not convinced by all of the numbers that have been reported by the state so far.
“That number frighteningly is just the tip of the iceberg because the data is self reported and we know many that facilities are not telling the state the problems that they are having,” he said. “Make sure we never have this type of problem again.”
“There isn’t even appropriate hand washing taking place in these facilities much less the appropriate use of PPE. We need to get state regulators into these places to make sure that starts happening.”
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