An update on COVID19 at the Silver Bay Veterans Home

As of Dec. 16, neighboring Lake County had registered 13 deaths due to COVID-19. Unfortunately, nine of those deaths have been at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Silver Bay.

WTIP’s Rhonda Silence spoke with Daren Rife, director of the veterans home, about the status of COVID-19 at the facility. As of Dec. 16, Rife said in addition to the nine deaths, two residents currently have positive test results along with one staff member.

That is fewer than when WTIP last spoke with Rife. On Nov. 23, there were 17 staff members and 25 residents registering positive COVID-19 test results. See more about the situation at that time here.

There are about 180 employees at the Silver Bay veterans home and all participate in COVID-19 testing. At this time, because Lake County has a 10 percent positivity rate it is considered a “red zone” for the coronavirus. Due to that higher positivity rate, veterans home staff are tested twice weekly.

Here’s WTIP’s Rhonda Silence with an update from Silver Bay Veterans Home Director Daren Rife.

Rhonda Silence December 18, 2020