Long-term care facilities in North Dakota struggling with Omicron

Photo by: North Dakota Long Term Care Association
Photo by: North Dakota Long Term Care Association

(Bismarck, ND) -- Officials with long-term care facilities in North Dakota are struggling with the spread of the omicron variant.  

North Dakota Long Term Care Association President Shelly Peterson said yesterday that facilities are seeing some of their worst case numbers since November 2020. State Vulnerable Population Protection Plan Task Force member Rosanne Schmidt says there are just over 750 cases in long-term care facilities. Nearly 580 of those affecting staff, leading to employee shortages.

Peterson did say that deaths are down huge over the past year however, and claimed that vaccines and booster shots have been crucial for those numbers to decrease over the past calender year.