Oxford Veterans Home Reports 13 Deaths from COVID-19

By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford continues to battle a COVID-19 outbreak.

As of Monday, 41 residents and 22 staff members have tested positive at the facility located on Veterans Boulevard in Oxford.

“Since we’ve had staff and residents who have recovered, the actual number fluctuates,” said Ray Coleman, director of communications for Mississippi State Veterans Affairs. “We’ve also had some of our staff fully recover and return to work recently.”

The veterans’ home has reported 13 deaths since the outbreak started in late July.

It is the first outbreak at the home since COVID-19 was first reported in Lafayette County in March.

Coleman said all residents and staff have been tested.

“We have isolated all COVID-positive residents to a designated wing of the home and had our COVID-positive staff quarantine at their homes per CDC and Mississippi State Department of Health guidelines,” Coleman said.

There are about 150 veterans at the Oxford home.

The Veterans Home has requested and received medical staffing assistance from the Federal VA Hospital in Memphis.

“Those additional staff have been extremely helpful in the support of our veterans’ home medical director, home administrator and staff and we are very appreciative of their assistance,” Coleman said.

According to the MSDH’s long-term care facility report that is released weekly, as of Aug. 6, the North Mississippi Regional Center has had 57 positive cases since March among staff, and 61 among residents with two deaths reported. NMRC had its initial outbreak in May, with another more recent outbreak after not having new positive cases for almost two months.

Hermitage Gardens has had just one staff member and one patient test positive since March with no COVID-19-related deaths.