COVID has killed residents in every Shasta County nursing home

As the virus continues to spread in the North State, public health data shows all of Shasta County's 10 nursing homes have had at least one resident die due to COVID-19.

The threat facing long-term care facilities — such as nursing homes (also known as skilled nursing facilities) and assisted-living facilities — has been observed since the start of the pandemic. The CDC has said nursing homes are "high risk" due to the nature of their clients (older adults often with underlying conditions) and close-quarters settings. 

In Shasta County, deaths became more common following the holidays. Only four of 10 nursing homes had reported a COVID-related death when December began. 

For comparison, only one of six Humboldt County skilled nursing facilities has reported a COVID-19 death. In Butte County, eight of nine homes have seen at least one death, according to the state's skilled nursing facility COVID-19 dashboard. 

Shasta County nursing homes, number of beds, number of COVID-related deaths (does not include assisted-living facilities)

• Windsor Redding Care Center (113 beds), 23 resident deaths
• Marquis Care at Shasta (180 beds), 16 resident deaths
• Oak River Rehab (143 beds), 12 resident deaths
• Copper Ridge Care Center (125 beds), <11 resident deaths
• Crestwood Wellness and Recovery (99 beds), <11 resident deaths
• Mayers Memorial Hospital D/P SNF (99 beds), <11 resident deaths
• Quartz Hill Post Acute (115 beds), <11 resident deaths
• Redding Post Acute (89 beds), <11 resident deaths
• Veterans Home of Northern California - Redding (60 beds), <11 resident deaths
• Vibra Hospital of Northern California D/P SNF (32 beds), <11 resident deaths

Facility names and numbers come from the California Department of Public Health.

Mike Dark, attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, noted that some facilities have handled the pandemic better than others. 

While Dark said it’s not hard for the virus to get into a facility, the speed at which a virus then spreads "has everything to do with adequate staffing and adequate resources."

"While the virus is an act of God, what goes on inside nursing homes is an act of man," Dark said.

As of Tuesday, Shasta County had reported 164 COVID-19 deaths. Of those, 75 have occurred in congregate medical settings, including 59 in skilled nursing facilities, according to a spokeswoman for the county's Health and Human Services Agency. 

Some local nursing homes have been harder hit than others. It's difficult to track the exact number of COVID deaths in a given facility because the state shields that figure from the public unless it's zero or more than 10, citing privacy reasons. Otherwise, the number of resident deaths is marked as <11.

Now with some distance after the holidays, the county's case rate has declined over the last three weeks. Outbreaks are decreasing in long-term care facilities as well, according to HHSA spokeswoman Kerri Schuette.

The current task is getting the nursing home population vaccinated. Schuette said all skilled nursing facilities have received their first dose by now and most have received their second. 

Schuette said assisted living facilities are starting to get their first doses now. Like nursing homes, these facilities are getting the vaccine through a CDC pharmacy partnership program.

The vaccinations are especially important given the disproportionate death toll for residents in those homes. According to the COVID Tracking Project, less than 1% of the U.S. population lives in long-term care facilities, but the group accounts for 36% of all COVID-19 deaths as of early February. 

"Nursing homes were terribly dangerous before COVID," Dark said. "Once the virus hit, it simply exploded in those environments."

More:Shasta County's COVID-19 situation in 6 charts

More:A running list of Shasta County's COVID-19 deaths: 164 since start of coronavirus pandemic

Matt Brannon covers politics, the criminal justice system and breaking news for the Record Searchlight. Follow him on Twitter @MattBrannon_RS. Support local coverage and keep up with the North State for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.