This article is copublished with ProPublica Illinois, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of energy.
At least 19 youngsters and two workers at a Chicago refuge for immigrant early life have examined sure for COVID-19 in fresh days, in what seems to be the most important outbreak of the virus within the nation in shelters for unaccompanied minors.
According to an e-mail despatched to workforce Sunday, Heartland Human Care Services officers mentioned the primary sure take a look at effects had been reported at its Bronzeville refuge on Friday and that further instances there have been showed over the weekend.
On Monday, officers from Heartland Alliance, the umbrella nonprofit group that oversees the refuge program, showed the sure checks and mentioned they be expecting there will likely be extra instances.
“We are operating under the assumption that we will see additional positive diagnoses as we receive results from the other tests that have been administered, and the steps we are taking to ensure the health and safety of our participants and staff are based on that assumption,” Mailee Garcia, a spokeswoman for the group, wrote in a commentary. “The prognosis for all of the children in our care is very good, and we are continuing to focus on our participants’ health and well-being.”
As of final Wednesday, best six COVID-19 instances have been showed amongst youngsters and young people housed in shelters across the nation, in line with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which oversees the country’s refuge program. All six had been at shelters in New York.
ORR officers mentioned there have been additionally 39 “self-reports” of sure COVID-19 checks amongst team of workers affiliated with refuge systems in six states as of Wednesday. ORR has no longer supplied up to date figures, regardless of repeated requests since Friday.
COVID-19 is a much less critical well being risk to youngsters than it’s to adults.
Heartland, in line with the copies of the e-mail bought via ProPublica Illinois, started “trying to secure tests” for kids on the Bronzeville refuge after a few of them displayed “COVID-19-like symptoms,” wrote David Sinski, govt director of Heartland Human Care Services.
The e-mail doesn’t element signs, once they changed into obtrusive or when youngsters had been examined. But via Friday, Heartland officers realized that one in all its “participants” — because the immigrant youngsters and early life are known as — had examined sure.
On Saturday, officers had been informed that 3 further youngsters had examined sure. By Sunday morning, they gained sure COVID-19 diagnoses for an extra 15 youngsters, bringing the overall to 19. According to the e-mail, 10 of the 19 youngsters are asymptomatic. Two workforce individuals have additionally examined sure.
“We understand that receiving this news may leave you feeling uncertain and scared,” Sinski wrote to workforce. “I want you to know that we are committed to providing you with the information that you need to know in order to keep you and your loved ones healthy and safe.”
It’s unclear how previous the inflamed youngsters are or the place they’re from. But the Bronzeville refuge, a four-story transformed nursing house that may dangle as much as 250 girls and boys, is authorized to accommodate youngsters from infancy to 17 years previous.
Officials mentioned they “immediately” transfer youngsters to an remoted setting once they display any indicators of any sickness, together with COVID-19, to reduce any possibility of group unfold. Since Saturday, Heartland has “enhanced our social distancing measures” on the shelters to restrict the touch amongst youngsters and between youngsters and workforce, Garcia mentioned.
In his e-mail, Sinski wrote that every one closing youngsters on the facility are being examined and that he anticipated the ones effects via Tuesday. He additionally requested all workers who labored at the flooring the place youngsters who examined sure had been residing to stick house with pay for 2 weeks. Staff individuals who adopt “specific activities” with youngsters will likely be supplied N95 mask, robes and gloves, and are being…