Westminster Presbyterian Church Rev. Patrick Heery performs a live outdoor healing and prayer service at The Commons on St. Patrick’s Day. Anthony for residents and staff. The nursing home was besieged with over 180 COVID-19 cases and over 20 deaths.
Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen
A viral post on social media and an article published on an obscure site falsely suggest that there may be a link between the timing of COVID-19 vaccinations and deaths at an Auburn nursing home.
The posts refer to the COVID-19 outbreak report on The Commons on St. Anthony of Auburn. More than 180 employees and residents of the installation gave positive results for the virus. At least 28 residents died after testing positive for COVID-19.
The authors of the posts, which The Citizen does not disclose to prevent the spread of false and misleading information, raise the possibility of a link between deaths and the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine to the nursing home.
However, there are key facts omitted from the claims. Commons, which is operated by Loretto, began vaccinating employees and residents on December 22nd. Prior to the first vaccination clinic, the nursing home already had a COVID-19 outbreak. Julie Sheedy, a spokeswoman for Loretto, told The Citizen that the outbreak began in December after Thanksgiving.
“Given the incubation period we know of for this virus, our facility was affected before the vaccines became available for administration,” Sheedy wrote in an email Monday. “We certainly wish the vaccines had been available earlier to help prevent the devastation caused by this virus.”