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8/3/2021 Update: Lyngblomsten continues to follow state and federal health guidance in response to the pandemic

August 3, 2021

Since Lyngblomsten’s last web update on June 21, no new cases of the virus have been identified in care center residents, housing tenants, or employees.  This is wonderful news!  Because of this, the care center** has been able to expand indoor visitation opportunities for residents’ family members and friends, as well as welcome back our dedicated volunteers, who are eager to serve after a yearlong hiatus!  (**Our two housing buildings have been offering expanded indoor visitation options for tenants since mid-January 2021.)

Lyngblomsten is grateful to be at this point in our COVID-19 journey, and we continue to follow all requirements from state and federal health agencies for mitigating the potential introduction and spread of the virus on our campus.  As recent reports about the Delta variant indicate, the virus is still in our communities, and so it’s important to remain vigilant.  To that end, our campus’ COVID policies include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Monitoring care center residents and housing tenants for symptoms of the virus and conducting testing when needed,
  • Screening staff and visitors for symptoms of the virus when they arrive on campus, and if they are exhibiting symptoms, prohibiting them from working or visiting,
  • Having residents, tenants, staff, and visitors wear required personal protective equipment, which may include facemasks, eye protection, N95 respirators, gloves, and gowns,
  • Testing residents, tenants, and employees regularly for COVID-19 depending on local conditions and a person’s vaccination status, and
  • Disinfecting high-touch surfaces in our building and encouraging everyone to wash their hands frequently (with soap and water and/or hand sanitizer).

As part of our commitment to transparency, Lyngblomsten updates residents, tenants, and/or their family representatives by 5 PM the day following the identification of a new case of the virus.  We also provide them with regular updates (weekly for care center residents, monthly for housing tenants) on our response to the pandemic and cumulative number of cases.  Below are the most recent cumulative numbers we shared with care center residents and their family contacts.

As of July 29, 2021, Lyngblomsten’s cumulative COVID-19 data since we collected our first resident test on April 1, 2020, is the following:

  • CASES:  150 confirmed cases (i.e., positive for COVID-19) for care center residents, 7 confirmed cases for tenants, 178 confirmed cases for employees, 8 confirmed cases for contract staff, and 11 confirmed cases for Essential Caregivers.***
  • RECOVERIES:  99 residents, 5 tenants, and 178 employees have recovered.
  • DEATHS:  51 care center resident deaths and 2 tenant deaths.
  • TESTS:  9,725 tests (8,055 PCR and 1,670 antigen) for care center residents, 2,315 PCR tests for housing tenants, and 21,437 tests (18,042 PCR and 3,395 antigen) for employees.  These numbers include individuals who have been tested multiple times.

***A role designed by MDH in response to the pandemic, an Essential Caregiver is a non-staff individual designated by a resident or tenant who fulfills a role in optimizing the resident’s/tenant’s physical, emotional, or psychosocial health.  Essential Caregivers can visit residents whether or not a facility is in an outbreak status.