Four Kensington Redondo residents confirmed dead from COVID-19
At least 21 residents of The Kensington Redondo senior living facility have tested positive for COVID-19, and four of them have died, according to a letter from Kensington staff to resident families.
The letter also states that 17 Kensington staff members have tested positive since the outbreak began. Sixteen of those staff members have recovered, and are back to work at the facility.
Kensington Executive Director Robert May’s statistics followed repeated community questions about whether or not Kensington residents have died of COVID-19.
“This question is not as easy or as clear cut to answer as you would think. Our resident group typically has complicated medical conditions, often associated with end of life circumstances, independent of the COVID-19 virus,” he wrote.He added that the disease does not always cause death, but it exacerbates other serious health conditions.
Seven of the 21 who tested positive for COVID-19, have recovered, six are being treated at Kensington, two are hospitalized, and two have been moved off-site.
Kensington had 85 residents as of mid-March, meaning one out of four residents has tested positive from the disease since the outbreak began.
Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer stated that she concurs with advice from federal and state officials — if one has the resources and ability to take care of a loved one at home, “it would be perfectly appropriate.”
“I want to acknowledge how much sorrow many families are experiencing,” Ferrer said during the county’s Tuesday afternoon briefing. “The Kensington facility is one of the first places where there was an outbreak early on.”
Ferrer stated that the County would look into a news report that Kensington has not been upfront in communicating with residents.
When asked to confirm the report, Kensington spokesperson Andrea Obston stated that the facility sends updates each night to resident families.
On March 22, Kensington staff explained that the County requested it be the primary point of contact for specific numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Kensington is one of 10 facilities in the South Bay to have had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 among its residents, according to LA County statistics. Among the 10 are three facilities in Torrance, two each in Inglewood and Gardena, and one each in Carson and Rancho Palos Verdes.