Jewish Care says 68 residents beat virus
Charity's chief executive says 'more consistent' testing is being rolled out across its services
Jewish Care has said 68 residents suspected of having contracted Covid-19 have recovered, with “more consistent” testing now being rolled out across the charity.
Chief executive Daniel Carmel-Brown said: “We have 68 residents across our care homes who have now made a full recovery from what we believe were coronavirus symptoms.
“There are very few of our residents across our homes who have developed Covid-19 in the last two weeks. This is of course good news, although we are careful to remain vigilant and will not become complacent in our measures to keep Covid-19 out of our homes.
He added that the charity was “now starting to see testing become available in a more consistent manner,” adding that the prominent media focus given to the issue by Jewish News helped in no small manner.
“Campaigning by Jewish Care, in addition to some external pressure and publicity on the issue, contributed to our ability to test more residents,” he said.
“The increased number of tests made available to our residents means that we are able to make more accurate assessments of their care needs.”
The organisation said it would begin opening its doors to new admissions “in the coming week” and start assessing the viability of family visits, although this could still be some way off.
Last month former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann praised the swift action of Jewish care homes in securing extra supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) at the start of the pandemic, with some even ordering oxygen supplies.
Carmel-Brown said: “We want to assure everyone that our priority is the safety and wellbeing of those we care for, and any steps that Jewish Care takes to move forward in the coming weeks will be undertaken with due caution.”
To-date 30 residents across seven of the charity’s ten care homes have died after testing positive for Covid-19.
Of these ten were residents at Anita Dorfman House, four residents from Clore Manor, one from the Kun Mor and George Kiss Home, three from Lady Sarah Cohen House, four from Otto Schiff, two at Sidney Corob House and six at Vi and John Rubens House.
Earlier this month human rights activist Natan Sharansky donated some of his $1 million Genesis Prize money to Jewish Care to buy PPE, which senior executives helped distribute to care homes this week.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
