Note: The Herald and McClatchy news sites have lifted the paywall on our websites for this developing story, providing critical information to readers. To support vital reporting such as this, please consider a digital subscription.
A person at the assisted living facility where a man died from COVID-19 has begun experiencing symptoms related to the disease, according to Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue.
Rescue crews wearing protective equipment arrived to Atria Willow Wood, 2855 W. Commercial Blvd., early Wednesday to take the individual to be tested, said a fire rescue spokesman. WSVN, which recorded rescue crews at the facility, says the person was taken to an isolation facility.
The transport comes a day after health and city officials confirmed the death of three Atria Willow Wood residents. At least one of them, a 77-year-old man, had the novel coronavirus. Tests for the other two were still pending late Tuesday.
Its unclear if the person who was taken for testing Wednesday is a staff member or a resident of the facility.
Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription
