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Three deaths at Peconic Landing’s Health Center linked to coronavirus

Three members at Peconic Landing’s Health Center have died from the coronavirus, the Greenport lifecare and retirement community announced Friday morning.

All three members had underlying medical conditions and two were receiving comfort support at the time of the diagnosis, Peconic Landing said. Their names were being withheld for now “out of respect for loved ones.”

They were identified as:

A 96-year-old woman of the Shores for Skilled Nursing died Wednesday and the COVID-19 confirmation came Thursday.

A 97-year-old woman of the Shores for Skilled Nursing died Thursday.

A 96-year-old man of Harbor South for Memory Support also died Thursday at a hospital.

“The three members were residents of the Health Center, where COVID-19 was first detected on campus March 10 in a per-diem employee who had unknowingly been exposed to the virus,” Peconic Landing said.

An additional 12 members have tested positive for COVID-19, Peconic Landing said, and 10 of them are in stable condition. One person has been hospitalized as of Friday morning due to COVID-19 symptoms and one person has been on hospice care since prior to the diagnosis.

So far, the virus has not been detected at Harbor North for Assisted Living and The Bluffs for Short-Term Rehabilitation. The virus has also not been detected among the independent living residents, which includes 301 members.

“On behalf of the entire Peconic Landing community, we offer our deepest thoughts and condolences to the families and loved ones these members leave behind,” said Carol Hance, chair of Peconic Landing’s Board of Trustees. “The detection and spread of COVID-19 on our campus has been unprecedented. Our team has acted swiftly, beginning planning for a possible response in February and implementing these enhanced precautions starting March 2. We will continue to implement and enhance all guidelines offered by officials at county, state, and federal levels to secure and provide our members with the best response possible.”

County and state officials as well as Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and PBMC Northwell Health have reached out to lend any necessary support, Peconic Landing said.

“Circumstances are changing day-by-day, minute-by-minute,” said Peconic Landing CEO and president Bob Syron in a statement. “Just yesterday we learned of the nine new cases and the three deaths being associated with the virus. Our focus remains on the health and well-being of our members. We ask you to provide us with the ability to focus our time on our members and the challenges that lie ahead.”

Mr. Syron said a challenge Peconic Landing is facing is securing personal protective equipment.

“I am pleased that after speaking with Steve Bellone, our county executive, last evening that he said we have his full support in getting the supplies that we need,” Mr. Syron said.

On a conference call Thursday, County Executive Steve Bellone said the death toll in the county was still at three, which had been the same number announced earlier in the week. The deaths at Peconic Landing would bring the total to at least six. The death total in the U.S. has surpassed 200, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. New York has at least 38 deaths, the first one being reported last Saturday.

The New York State Department of Health has managed oversight and testing at the campus and has been determining who meets the criteria for testing, Peconic Landing said. They will continue to manage testing.

Visitation to the campus remains suspended until further notice. All non-medical visitation continues to be suspended for the health center.