Outbreak reported at Riverside Rest Home: 18 residents, 11 staff

Riverside Rest Home's first COVID cases were announced on Thursday. (Courtesy photo)

DOVER - Strafford County officials announced on Thursday that a COVID-19 outbreak has come to light at Riverside Rest Home, an elderly congregate living facility in Dover that is run by the county.

The outbreak that includes 18 residents and 11 staff surfaced upon the county's receipt on Thursday of test results from testing done last Thursday and Friday, according to a press release.

Those tests earlier this month comprised 100 percent of all residents and staff, officials said.

"A total of 475 tests were conducted. and we have received all test results," the press release from the County Commissioner's Office said. "Of the 163 residents tested, 145 were negative and 18 were positive; of 312 employees tested, 301 were negative and 11 were identified as positive."

It should be noted that DHHS numbers today show the number of residents who tested positive at 16, not 18.

County officials report that five of the employees have since recovered and others are showing mild, even negligible symptoms.

Meanwhile, they note the residents have varying levels of symptoms, from asymptomatic, possibly presymptomatic, to moderate.

"The residents with moderate symptoms have shown some improvement," officials noted. "Some of the residents only displayed symptoms for one day."

The county also assured the public that they have a sufficient amount of Personal Protective Equipment on hand and that more in being acquired with the help of state and federal assistance.

Thursday's press release also stressed that the "increased demand for testing across the state has (resulted in) a subsequent delay in laboratory results."

Thursday's positive tests of COVID are the first at Riverside since the pandemic began in March.