KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Another COVID-19 cluster has been announced at a Clay County long-term care facility.
The Clay County Health Center sent a release Friday night about eight positive tests at Ashton Court Care and Rehabilitation Centre, which is located at 1200 W. College St. in Liberty.
So far, five staff members and three residents have tested positive among the 334 confirmed cases in Clay County outside Kansas City, Missouri, city limits, according to the latest information from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Clay County health officials previously announced an outbreak at Pleasant Valley Manor Care Center, where 79 cases have been identified with eight deaths attributed to the virus.
There have been nine deaths in Clay County outside KCMO and 15 confirmed deaths overall in the county when aggregated with information from the city’s health department.
The Clay County Health Department is working with Ashton Court and Pleasant Valley Manor Court to conduct contact tracing and guide follow-up testing procedures.
The state health department performs site visits and provides testing kits and safety equipment to help manage outbreak at senior care facilities through its Division of Long-Term Care.
Since May 18, all long-term care facilities in Missouri have been required to report any cases among staff or residents within 24 hours, so the state can enact robust testing and contact tracing protocols, its “box-in strategy.”
“That change in the notification process has allowed local and state public health to more quickly get involved in outbreaks and coordinate efforts with the facilities to minimize any further spread of disease,” Clay County Public Health Center Section Chief of Health Planning and Policy Ashley Wegner said in a statement. “All the long-term care facilities in Clay County that have experienced COVID-19 outbreaks have been cooperative in their joint efforts with us and the state to try to protect their employees and residents.”
