County's first Covid-19 fatality linked to outbreak at Grafton senior living facility

Five people have tested positive for the coronavirus at Village Pointe Commons in Grafton in what Washington Ozaukee Public Health Officer Kirsten Johnson called an outbreak at the long-term care facility.

The people diagnosed so far include a 90-year-old resident of the center’s memory care unit who died Thursday, three other people in the unit and a caregiver, Johnson said during a Friday afternoon press conference outside the facility.

The 90-year-old man was diagnosed after his death, she said, adding he had underlying health conditions but his death was unexpected for his family.

Additional tests are pending, Johnson said, adding they have been given priority and the results were expected later Friday.

The caregiver, she added, has not worked at the facility since March 14 and is being isolated at home.

Johnson said the Health Department is working with Capri Communities, which operates the Grafton care facility, to ensure everyone who came in contact with the patients is monitored and isolated.

“Every effort is being done to stop the spread of Covid-19,” she said.

Jim Tarantino, CEO of Capri Communities, said the company is doing “everything we can to maintain a healthy and safe environment.”

He said Capri is working with local, county and state officials, which are assisting with resources and staffing.

Johnson, he noted, “just delivered masks and other supplies we were getting low on.” 

The Health Department does not have laboratory evidence of community spread in Grafton except for Village Pointe Commons, Johnson said.

“However, this is a global pandemic and we know the virus has spread throughout the country, the State of Wisconsin and Ozaukee County.”

She took the occasion to ask people to practice social distancing, stay at home and self-quarantine if they have symptoms.

“The reason for these extreme measures is to prevent spread in our communities and outbreaks like Village Pointe Commons,” she said. “We need to protect our aging population and most vulnerable.

“The best way to do this is by staying home.”