Three COVID-19 Deaths, 17 Total Cases Reported at St. Ann’s Residence in Duluth

DULUTH, Minn. – Three deaths related to the novel coronavirus have been confirmed at St. Ann’s Residence in Duluth. The assisted living center has 17 total cases.

COVID-19 fatality rates can be as high as 40 percent in assisted living facilities. That’s what makes the outbreak so concerning to St. Ann’s 138 residents and 100 staff members.

The Minnesota Department of Health is now working with the assisted living facility to screen employees and determine who is needed to work and who needs to be in quarantine.

With three residents dying of COVID-19, it’s casing an alarming situation for everybody.

“We’ve all been exposed,” said St. Ann’s executive director Scott Johnson. “When the virus is in the building to this extent, all of us have been exposed, myself and every single worker.”

St. Ann’s has gotten a lot more personal protective equipment recently, allowing them to put masks, gloves, and face shields on everybody there.

Johnson tells us the residence is used to dealing with flu outbreaks, but says COVID-19 seems to more viciously pass from person to person.

Across St. Louis County there are now 33 confirmed cases. Amy Westbrook, the director of the county’s Public Health Division, tells us it’s hard to know how many cases the county will have, but says people should expect the numbers to rise.

“I don’t want to predict any sort of trend or peak, but I want for people to understand that we will likely see more cases in the next couple weeks,” said Westbrook.

There have also been rising case numbers in the counties surrounding St. Louis.

We’re told some furloughed workers from Essentia Health and St. Luke’s have come to work at St. Ann’s to help staff and residents get through the pandemic.