Majority of Broome COVID-19 Deaths Are in Nursing Homes

Of the 44 deaths from coronavirus in Broome County, three-quarters of those are confirmed or presumed in nursing homes according to information from the New York State Department of Health.

County Executive Jason Garnar June 3 announced another resident of the county-owned Willow Point Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a man in his 80s, had died of COVID-19, three weeks after coronavirus was first detected at the home. 

May 12, the County announced a contract healthcare worker had tested positive for the coronavirus with the first case in the nursing home being reported shortly thereafter.

Garnar has said the county would be transparent regarding the cases at the facility in Vestal and has revealed with most of the recent fatalities from COVID-19 that the victims were residents at Willow Point.

Deaths from individual, privately-run nursing homes are not generally made public.

Willow Point had avoided the pandemic for weeks with other nursing homes like Susquehanna Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, the United Methodist Homes Hilltop Campus and Vestal Park previously reporting outbreaks.  Last week Bridgewater Rehabilitation and Nursing Center on Front Street, Binghamton was added to the county’s list of COVID hotspots.

Tioga County has also reported the majority of its pandemic fatalities have been at a nursing center.