A new outbreak of the novel coronavirus at Marquis Hope Village has grown to 40 cases and four deaths as of last week, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
A public relations agency representing Marquis told The Canby Current those numbers include 25 residents and 12 staff members, with the remainder being “close contacts” whose cases have been otherwise linked to the facility — typically, family members or housemates of employees.
The most cases — 21 residents and seven staff — have been linked to Marquis Post-Acute Rehab, which is the same facility that became the site of one of the state’s largest and deadliest outbreaks last June, with 113 total cases and 18 deaths. This outbreak was considered resolved by the end of July.
In this newer outbreak, which started several months later in November, an additional four residents and four employees in the adjacent Assisted Living Facility have contracted the coronavirus, while a single staff member of the new memory care facility has also tested positive.
The representative, Jenna Cooper, told the Current that staff members who test positive for the coronavirus must quarantine at home until the clear Covid-19 protocols. Residents who test positive are temporarily moved to a separate coronavirus treatment facility for care.
Though this outbreak has been active for more than two months, new cases continue to be reported — including an additional four that were discovered between the week ending Jan. 10 and the one ending Jan. 17.
Cooper said Tuesday that all residents who tested positive were now considered recovered — suggesting the four newer cases were staff or close contacts linked to the outbreak.
The majority of residents (85%) and staff (65%) at the Canby facility had received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine as of Jan. 14 — but it does not provide instant immunity. In fact, scientists say it takes seven to 14 days after receiving the second dose to develop full immunity.
A whistleblower lawsuit was filed earlier this month against Marquis Hope Village by a former employee, who alleges the facility’s managers repeatedly failed to take action to prevent the potential spread of the coronavirus, then punished her for trying to get them to act.
The Oregonian, which first reported the claim, said the former worker is seeking $350,000 in damages. A spokesperson for Marquis told the newspaper the company does not comment on legal matters.
