COVID-19 outbreak at Plymouth detox facility, town again ‘high risk’ for virus

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A COVID-19 outbreak has been confirmed at a substance abuse detox and rehabilitation facility in Plymouth.

The Plymouth Public Health Department confirms 41 patients and staff members at High Point Treatment Center on State Road have tested positive for COVID-19.

Melissa Torrance, the Chief Operating Officer of Inpatient Services at High Point & Affiliated Organizations, confirmed the outbreak to Boston 25 News on Tuesday. At the time, 24 patients and staff members had tested positive and all were asymptomatic, according to Torrance.

The outbreak was discovered last week after a patient was taken to a hospital for a non-COVID related issue. The patient tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital.

Torrance said High Point learned of the positive test result the next day and subsequently tested all patients and staff members.

High Point contacted the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for guidance on how to handle the outbreak. The facility created cohorts of patients, keeping those infected away from those who tested negative for the virus.

Torrance was unsure of the vaccination status of the patients who tested positive. She said the vaccine is available to all patients and staff. High Point is a congregate care facility, making the patients and staff eligible for the vaccine under the first phase of the state’s rollout plan.

On Thursday, the state health department once again designated Plymouth a community at high risk for COVID-19. 164 new cases were reported from March 12 to March 18. Below is a breakdown of the cases by date and age group. 12 of the cases reported on March 18 were linked to High Point, according to the Plymouth Public Health Department.

Plymouth health officials haven’t said if High Point’s cases are solely responsible for pushing the town back into the high risk classification.

Cox Media Group