JOHN RYAN’S father, Michael, has been a resident of Nazareth House for a number of years. John was abroad this week but remained in close contact with his mother to monitor the situation.
“My father is fine, thank God. However, I offer my sincere condolences to those who have lost loved ones. I have every confidence in the staff and management of the Nazareth House – it is a fantastic facility, more than capable of providing care and support to residents during this difficult period.
“The early indications are that it is a flu-like virus. All of the residents have been vaccinated against any further outbreak. Health Minister Dr James Reilly has assured me, through Deputy Joe McHugh, that correct procedures are in place and tests are under way to deal with this serious issue,” Mr Ryan, a Fine Gael county councillor, said.
He added that he was in hourly contact with his mother, who had been advised not to visit the facility.
The son of another long-term resident from Buncrana said he was not panicking about his father’s presence in the nursing home. “He did have a chest infection but it was no different to what was out in the general community – lots of people had it . . . I am not unduly worried about my father,” he said.
Families of residents were contacted on Monday and asked not to visit the home, in an attempt to curb any contagion, until the source of the illness is isolated.
Fr Paddy O’Kane, a parish priest at Holy Family in Derry, arrived yesterday at the home to anoint his father, Dominic (93), who has been a resident for five years. Fr O’Kane said he only found out about the alert over deaths in the home via the media.
“We are all concerned, and I came down here to reassure the family and to anoint him,” he said. “The care here is very good, but naturally I am concerned. It has hit everybody unexpectedly.”
Another woman, Denise Lynch, arrived with her children to visit her uncle, James McLaughlin. She said she came after she was also alerted by media reports.
“We just want to know he is okay,” she said.
Another relative, who said she was called Jane, said people were naturally alarmed. “They are very frail at that time in their lives – they are very vulnerable,” she said.
A man in his 50s, who was helping an elderly woman with a walking stick across the car park, said his thoughts were with everybody affected. “It is very scary, the atmosphere, with everything locked down like this. You just have to hope for the best: hope that nobody else catches it,” he said.“The home is so good to people as well, this came totally out of the blue. You have to feel for all the others.” – (Additional reporting: PA)