The D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette is pictured. One worker at the facility has tested positive for COVID-19, officials confirmed. (Journal file photo)

MARQUETTE — An employee of the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans has tested positive for COVID-19.

“We had a staff member test positive and the great thing for us is the staff member hasn’t been in the building since the 5th of March,” said Ron Oja, administrator at the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans.

The employee was off work for vacation-related travel and has not been in the facility since contracting the virus. Because of this, the chances of other cases in the home is very low at this time, he said.

“We continue to test and we do not have any positive tests at this time,” Oja said.

Preventative measures are being taken at the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans to reduce the risk of exposure.

“Like I’m sure most of the nursing homes around here (are doing), we’ve instituted visitor restrictions. So you can only come in if you’re medically necessary and we have a screening process that everyone has to go through before they enter their work assignment… And using the most recent screening tool that has been put out, asking about travel restrictions, if you feel ill and then we’re going to screen your temperature before you assume your work assignment,” Oja said.

Because the home is currently closed to all in-person visits, staff is helping the residents connect with their families through other means.

“In place of that because we know it’s hard on our families we’ve upped our use of video chat, all the callings, things like that — calling, Facetime, Skype. We’re using that with iPads in the facility, so we can get at least some contact with families and their loved ones here,” Oja said.

The D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans will continue to follow the guidance that comes from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, he added.

“We continue and always will continue to keep the safety of our members at the forefront,” Oja said. “Everything we do is to make sure their as safe as possible.”

There are currently five Marquette County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to a press release from the Marquette County Health Department.

The number is expected to rise with additional potential cases being evaluated each day, officials said.

The current number of positive cases within the county can be found by visiting www.mqthealth.org.

COVID-19 information on the associated website remains current and is updated daily. From this point forward the MCHD will no longer be reporting individual cases to the media. All current case count information can be found by visiting the website.

Based upon the occurrence of COVID-19 positive cases within the county and throughout Michigan, it can be assumed that COVID-19 is present within your community, the press release states.

The MCHD recommends adhering to the following precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in your community:

≤ Stay home and avoid close contact with others

≤ If you are sick with COVID-19 or think you might have it, the CDC currently recommends “people who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to recover at home. Do not leave, except to get medical care. Do not visit public areas.”

Additional information on steps to take when sick can be found by visiting www.cdc.gov/coronavirus.

≤ If symptoms worsen, avoid others and seek medical care from your healthcare provider to determine if medical evaluation and testing is recommended

≤ Cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow or a clean tissue

≤ Wash your hands frequently

≤ Clean and disinfect surfaces

≤ Cancel meetings or gatherings of 10 people or more and do not attend

For current COVID-19 information visit www.mqthealth.org or call 1-888-535-6136. If you believe you may have been exposed or are ill call 906-475-9977.

Trinity Carey can be reached at tcarey@miningjournal.net.