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25 residents of Plano memory care facility test positive for coronavirus

A Plano memory care center announced Friday that 25 of its residents have now tested positive for COVID-19. Only three residents do not have the virus.

Arbor Hills Memory Care Community had previously said 18 residents had tested positive. The facility has not announced any deaths among residents.

The seven new cases were confirmed after eight residents were retested for the coronavirus because their initial results were inconclusive, said Eric Hanson, a spokesman for Koelsch Communities, which owns the facility. Of those retested, seven residents tested positive and one tested negative.

Twelve of the 50 staff members have also now tested positive, Hanson said.

Plano Fire-Rescue officials were conducting state-mandated testing for the virus June 15 at the facility when they found several residents with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Nineteen residents at the time had such symptoms and were sent to hospitals for testing and treatment.

Four tested positive that first day, a city official said at the time. The next day, an additional 14 residents were diagnosed with the virus, the Koelsch Communities spokesman said.

In May, Gov. Greg Abbott directed several state agencies to test all residents and staff members in Texas nursing homes. Nursing homes have been particularly vulnerable to outbreaks. The testing at Arbor Hills was a part of that effort.

Testing began at Arbor Hills after six staff members initially became infected.

Hanson said residents who tested positive for coronavirus have started returning to the facility at the recommendation of the health department. But he said that staff members would not return if they are positive for the virus.

The company has also reported coronavirus cases in at least five other facilities across the country and at another local facility, Meadowbrook Memory Care in Arlington.

The company has said 32 residents and 12 employees tested positive for the coronavirus at Meadowbrook. Five residents there died.

Koelsch has said it will continue following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials.

Nursing homes around the state have had more than 6,700 coronavirus cases among residents, including 1,046 deaths.

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