Seventh resident at Atria Willow Wood assisted-living facility dies of coronavirus

Another resident has died from the new coronavirus at Atria Willow Wood, bringing the death toll to seven at the Fort Lauderdale assisted-living facility.

The death was shared Friday evening in an email from facility staff. The victim was a 94-year-old woman, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

Twenty residents and one employee have been infected with the virus; that includes the seven residents who’ve died.

Atria Willow Wood may be responsible for half of the coronavirus infections at long-term care facilities in Broward County; according to the Florida Department of Health on Monday, Broward County currently has 41 residents or staff of such facilities confirmed to have the virus.

Eight of the residents are being treated on site by staff. It’s unclear where the other 12 infected residents are receiving treatment, or what their condition might be at this time.

Atria Willow Wood has become one of the leading examples of the danger the virus poses to the 200,000 Florida residents who live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

After reports emerged of a cluster of infections at the facility on March 17, the governor criticized the owners of the 18-acre complex for allegedly allowing symptomatic workers onto the site and imperiling residents.

Representatives for Atria, which operates a nationwide network of nursing homes, pushed back against the allegation, saying they did all they could to keep the microscopic virus out.

The last time deaths and new infections were reported at Atria Willow Wood was on March 26. On that date, six people had died at the facility because of the virus, and 16 residents were infected.

“Our primary concern right now is supporting our residents and staff and doing everything in our power to keep them safe,” representatives of Atria wrote in response to a request for comment. “We will also continue to work with the Department of Health and AHCA as we monitor and respond to this ever-changing situation.”

Mario Ariza can be reached at mariza@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4233.

Brooke Baitinger can be reached at: bbaitinger@sunsentinel.com, 954-422-0857 or Twitter: @bybbaitinger