Aberdeen Heights independent living resident tests positive for COVID-19

As the state of Missouri tops 100,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, Aberdeen Heights continues to battle the virus. The community learned Monday that an independent living resident has tested positive.

The resident and the resident’s spouse self-quarantined Thursday, September 8, after learning they had been exposed by a close contact who they had recently visited. The couple sought testing on Friday, September 11 and learned Sunday evening that one of them had tested positive for COVID-19.

“The residents acted swiftly and responsibly to minimize the impact on our campus,” said Rick Cumberland, executive director. “Through our internal contact tracing, we have determined that no residents or employees meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold for an exposure risk.”

Last week, the CDC updated its guidelines for determining a close contact to within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer, up from within 6 feet for 10 minutes or longer that was the previous standard.

The community will continue to cooperate with the St. Louis County Health Department and any guidance they provide. As mandated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the community will conduct surveillance testing for employees Tuesday, September 15.

Due to this positive case, the campus will postpone outdoor visits.

Residents who test positive will remain in isolation until cleared by the St. Louis County Health Department. We will follow CDC guidelines for when the residents may come out of isolation. Under the current guidelines, symptomatic residents may leave isolation when at least 24 hours have passed since resolution of the resident’s fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and the resident’s symptoms have improved and at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared. Asymptomatic positive residents will quarantine for 14 days.

Aberdeen Heights continues to screen all employees as they enter the community building for a shift and before they have any direct contact with residents.  In addition, staff members are wearing masks per CDC recommendations.

For more information about Aberdeen Heights’ response, go to PMMA’s (Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America’s) website, presbyterianmanors.org/media-room.

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