SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) –

August 24, 2020 – Health Department announces COVID-19 deaths

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department reported Monday the deaths of two Greene County residents from COVID-19. Both lived in long-term care facilities.

Health leaders say the victims are a man in his 80s and a woman in her 60s. Both suffered from underlying health conditions. County health leaders report 13 deaths from COVID-19 in August, bringing the total to 24 since the pandemic.

Long-term care facilities are required by the state to notify the families of all residents when there is a positive case in the facility as well as when a death occurs. Institutional settings, like long-term care, are environments where a respiratory illness can easily spread.

Long-term care in Greene County

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department works closely alongside the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and with local long-term care facilities to assist with testing, secure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and to provide guidance on best practices for disease prevention and containment in an institutional setting.

While it is ultimately DHSS that has the regulatory authority, responsibility and oversight of communicable disease containment in long-term care setting, local public health departments are a partner in serving as a liaison to support the state’s disease prevention strategy. This strategy includes facility-wide testing of staff and residents after a positive test of either a resident or staff, and repeated testing until there are no additional cases.

Long-term care facilities must report a positive case among staff or residents to DHSS within 24 hours so guidance can be provided on comprehensive testing, isolation and quarantine instructions, personal protective equipment and staffing. State guidance for long-term care facilities can be found here.

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