Two Nursing Homes Added to Broome’s COVID Hotspots

Broome County’s Executive is again pointing to the major nursing homes as the hotspots for the coronavirus locally.

Jason Garnar says in addition to the county-run Willow Point Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that has been on the list for several weeks, United Methodist Homes’ Hilltop Campus and Good Shepherd Fairview Homes have been added as COVID-19 hotspots in the county.

Aside from the virus spreading in congregate care facilities, local health officials are pointing to continued growth of infection in the community in general.

Garnar pointed to the numbers seen following Halloween and Thanksgiving when cases increased as people gathered for celebrations for proof of wide community spread.  He says, unlike earlier reports where there were specific age groups showing marked increased in cases like young people in their 20s in the fall then the demographic ticked up to people in their 30s, 40s and 50, now there are no specific groups where infections are greater than others.

The county executive says the next two to three weeks will be critical in gaging the spread as people gather for the holidays and more people are just generally shut inside due to the bad weather.