DPH: Westford nursing home dealing with COVID outbreak

WESTFORD, Mass. — The State Department of Public Health confirmed Tuesday what a source told Boston 25 News earlier this week: a nursing home in Metrowest is enduring a Covid outbreak.

DPH says Westford House, located in Westford, saw its first Covid cases on June 29, 2023. As of Monday, DPH says 16 residents and two staff members have been infected by the virus -- but there have been no Covid deaths. The facility houses about 120 beds.

Westford House did not return an invitation to comment on the outbreak, but a sign on its main door indicated a requirement for masks because of Covid cases -- and a staffer inside the lobby confirmed there was ‘Covid in the building.’

Westford’s Board of Health said it knew of 10 Covid cases in the town -- and one probable case -- but none of those cases could be traced, by address, to Westford House. DPH said nursing homes self-report Covid cases.

Nursing homes were Covid hotbeds during the early days of the pandemic. Lockdowns helped slow case numbers back then -- and widespread vaccination among staff and residents since has helped keep outbreaks to a minimum.

Still, when an older person contracts Covid it can still lead to serious illness and death -- with the average age of Covid fatalities in Massachusetts now clocking in at 83-years-old.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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