12/3/20 Update: Frequent testing an important part of Lyngblomsten’s COVID-19 response

December 3, 2020

For several weeks, data from the Minnesota Department of Health has revealed a steady growth in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Minnesota due primarily to community spread.  Here at Lyngblomsten, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of COVID-positive cases on our campus since mid-October.

• As of December 2, Lyngblomsten has 15 active care center resident cases and 15 active employee cases.
• Lyngblomsten confirmed its first cases of COVID-19 among tenants this fall on the Como Park Campus.  As of December 2, there have been 5 confirmed cases among tenants at the Lyngblomsten Apartments and 0 confirmed cases among tenants at The Heritage at Lyngblomsten.

An important part of Lyngblomsten’s strategy to mitigate the spread of the virus is frequent testing of its residents, employees, and tenants.

• For three weeks, Lyngblomsten has been testing care center residents and employees twice per week, an increase from the once-a-week testing we’ve been conducting with these groups since mid-May.  Current regulations stipulate that nursing homes must test their residents and employees twice per week if the COVID-19 county positivity rate is greater than 10 percent.  (The county positivity rate for Ramsey County—the county in which the Lyngblomsten Care Center is located—surpassed the 10-percent mark in mid-November.)
• Tenants from Lyngblomsten’s two senior housing buildings have been tested weekly for the virus since November 16.
• Lyngblomsten continues to use rapid antigen tests with select groups of residents and employees.  Results from these tests are available in about 15 minutes, although they are not as accurate as PCR (or polymerase chain reaction) results.  (PCR tests are the “gold standard” for COVID-19 tests, which are what we’ve been using since we began testing residents in early April.)  Lyngblomsten is using antigen tests primarily with individuals who had a potential exposure to someone who tested positive for the virus.

Lyngblomsten continues to follow all guidance from federal and state health agencies to mitigate the spread of the virus, from hand washing and mask wearing to social distancing and symptom monitoring.

Thankfully, as we identify new cases among employees, other staff who were positive recover and are able to return to work.  This means our staffing levels have remained steady during this time—allowing us to continue the quality, person-centered care we’ve been providing to older adults for more than 110 years.