5 Asymptomatic Staffers Test Positive For Coronavirus at Williamstown Commons

With state testing guidelines loosening to acknowledge asymptomatic cases, all staff at Williamstown Commons have now been tested, revealing five so far without symptoms.

Some 73 residents have tested positive, according to Lisa Gaudet, communications vice president for Berkshire Healthcare Systems, which owns the nursing home. Of the 73, 15 have died, 17 have recovered, 35 remain in the nursing home's COVID-19 unit, and six are at the hospital receiving higher-level care.

Test results for an additional 15 staffers are still pending, Gaudet said, and results for 102 more came back negative.

State Rep. John Barrett III, D-North Adams, said he wishes the state had acted sooner to loosen testing guidelines that previously required the presence of symptoms. Doing so would have allowed facilities like Williamstown Commons to get a handle sooner on how the virus was spreading through the building.

Read the entire story at The Berkshire Eagle.com