2 dead, 18 hospitalized by outbreak at Fairfax County retirement community

Two people are dead and 18 have been hospitalized by a respiratory virus outbreak at a Fairfax County retirement community, according to officials.

The Fairfax County Health Department says a total of 54 people were exposed to the outbreak - all of them in the assisted living and skilled nursing sections of the Greenspring Retirement Community in Springfield.

The health department says the facility has quarantined the impacted sections, and there haven't been any new cases of patients requiring hospitalization in two days.

They added that Greenspring Retirement Community has not permitted any new arrivals at their facility since the outbreak.

The health department says it believes the facility is doing everything it can to contain the outbreak.

"The facility is taking all the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of their residents. They've been increasing their infection prevention, they've been increasing cleaning. People who are sick have been staying in the room, so they don't come in contact with other individuals in the facility," said Dr. Benjamin Schwartz of the Fairfax County Health Department.