A resident at the Acorn Glen assisted living facility has become the sixth Princeton resident to succumb to COVID-19 complications, the Princeton Health Department announced April 26.
The woman, who was in her 70s, was one of eight residents at the assisted living facility on Mount Lucas Road to have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said. Three of the residents have recovered.
The first reported death in Princeton was a woman who was in her 90s and who may have been infected by a home health aide, officials said. Four men who were residents at the Princeton Care Center on Bunn Drive also died of COVID-19 earlier this month.
“We understand the vulnerability of patients at these types of facilities. The Princeton Health Department has been conducting weekly conference calls with long term care centers in Princeton to ensure they are meeting New Jersey Department of Health guidelines on controlling outbreaks of COVID-19,” Princeton Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser said.
The eight Acorn Glen residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have been cared for in an isolated area of the assisted living facility, Grosser said. Acorn Glen has been providing daily updates to the Princeton Health Department and the New Jersey Department of Health, he said.
The residents at Acorn Glen and the Princeton Care Center are among the 108 residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 26. Of those 108 persons whose tests were positive, 45 people have recovered. The Princeton Health Department is monitoring 36 active cases that are in isolation.
Acorn Glen and the Princeton Care Center also are among the 22 Mercer County long term care facilities that have reported staff and residents who have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
At Acorn Glen, 13 residents and staff members combined had tested positive for COVID-19 as of April 27. At the Princeton Care Center, a total of 23 residents and staff members had tested positive for the disease.
They are among the 672 cases of residents and staff members who tested positive for COVID-19 combined at the 22 long term care facilities in Mercer County. There have been 126 reported deaths, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.
The Princeton Health Department only counts residents at Acorn Glen and the Princeton Care Center, but the New Jersey Department of Health counts both residents and staff in its reports.
In releasing the number of COVID-19 deaths, the New Jersey Department of Health cautioned that it includes COVID-positive deaths; deaths in persons with pending tests; and respiratory illness deaths for which COVID testing was not performed.
The cases are self-reported by the long term care facilities at a point in time, and may not reflect real-time data, the state agency said. The case numbers are constantly changing and are subject to updates.
Statewide, 472 long term care facilities have reported COVID-19 outbreaks, the New Jersey Department of Health said. There have been 2,865 patients whose deaths were confirmed by laboratory tests to be COVID-19 positive. An additional 981 deaths are suspected to be COVID-19 related.