COVID-19 Updates

COVID Week in Review: April 30-May 6, 2021

Visitation restrictions ease with full vaccination

BRC is now able to reduce restrictions on visitation and some resident activities when everyone involved is fully vaccinated, thanks to new guidance from The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that takes into account the vaccination status of residents, visitors, and team members at communities such as BRC.

Specifically, when both the resident and visitor are fully vaccinated (defined as 14 days after receiving final dose of vaccine), in-room visits without masking or distancing are now allowed for residents in BRC’s Nursing Households, Assisted Living, and Memory Support. However, if either the resident or the visitor is not vaccinated, protocols cannot change: visits must be held in a designated location away from living spaces with masking, distancing, and other infection prevention measures. In either case, visits must still be scheduled in advance with the household team. The new policies are posted on our main COVID-19 webpage. 

The new CDC guidance also allows BRC to ease up on some pandemic infection-prevention measures in specific situations for team members who are fully vaccinated . On the other hand, team members who are not vaccinated are required to wear KN95 masks and to be tested weekly for COVID. For details see Revised Guidance for Team Members. 

One team member in Nursing tested positive for COVID in the past week. Fortunately, investigation reveals that there was not any significant risk at BRC, so in accordance with advice from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) there is no need to go into outbreak mode, which would necessitate routine testing of residents as well as additional PPE for team members.  

Vaccine

BRC is official vaccination site: We administer the Moderna vaccine on-site for residents and team members, usually on Wednesdays. The Moderna vaccine is administered in two doses 28 days apart. 

• • • Team members who would like to sign up or obtain more information should contact mjsaufley@brcliving.org. Future Independent Living and Assisted Living residents should contact your marketing counselor: Lisa Shickel at lshickel@brcliving.org or Jessica Covell at jcovell@brcliving.org. 
    • Future Nursing residents should discuss vaccine options as part of your admissions process with Jay McDowell jmcdowell@brcliving.org.
  Team members who have been vaccinated somewhere other than at BRC should share that information with Human Resources, since sick leave policies for COVID-related time off work are different depending on vaccination status.

Testing

Team members: Routine testing is required for any BRC team member, regardless of work location or role at BRC, who is not vaccinated. Currently this testing is done weekly because the local PCR-test positivity rate is between 5% and 10%. If it dips below 5% the frequency will drop to monthly. Testing is conducted on Wednesday afternoons between 2 and 3:30 pm in June’s Cafe.

Testing is also available for symptoms on an as-needed basis.

Residents: Testing is available for any BRC resident with symptoms as needed.

Local Data Trends

We track the number of new cases and hospitalizations in Rockingham County, Harrisonburg, and Augusta County (see chart below). This week the number of new cases decreased slightly, as did the positivity rate in Rockingham County based on PCR testing.

Local Positivity Rates:

Regulatory requirements for our nursing households mandate visitation policy, how often we test all nursing team members, and other infection prevention measures; these requirements are tied directly to several measures including the percentage of positive COVID-19 PCR test results in our local jurisdiction, which is Rockingham County. A positivity rate of under 5% is considered “low” and requires monthly testing; between 5% and 10% is considered “medium” and requires weekly testing; and above 10% is “high” and requires testing twice a week. Also, a positivity rate of above 10% means mandatory restriction of visitation in Nursing and Assisted Living. BRC also uses this data to inform policies that affect Assisted Living and Independent Living, so we keep an eye on the rates in nearby jurisdictions. This data is published by the Virginia Department of Health.

Cumulative COVID-19 Cases at BRC as of May 6, 2021

Total Number of BRC Residents: approximately 550  Total Number of BRC Team Members: approximately 370

Monthly Totals

Residents by Community Segment

Team Members by Work Area

New Cases per Week in the Local Area as of May 5

In Rockingham County, Harrisonburg City, and Augusta County combined-