9 Retired Nuns from the Same Michigan Retirement Home Die of COVID-19 in Less Than a Month

An outbreak of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has tragically led to the deaths of 9 retired nuns in less than a month at a Michigan retirement home.

The sisters were all living at the Dominican Life Center on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse campus.

The order confirmed on Jan. 14 that the campus was experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 among its residents after more than nine months without a single case. So far this month, nine sisters have died as a result of the contagious respiratory virus, spokesperson Angela Kessler told ABC News.

Kessler, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, told ABC News that 46 sisters have tested positive at the Motherhouse campus. Of that total, 12 cases are currently active and 25 more are recovering.

While the order has an In Memoriam section on its website, it has not disclosed who died of COVID-19 and who died of other causes.

"The care and safety of our Sisters and Co-workers have been and remain our primary concern," the order said in its Jan. 14 statement. "We continue to practice stringent protocols, including quarantines, to mitigate further spread of the virus."

"Our prayers rise like incense for all impacted by this global health crisis: the sick and dying, their families, and all healthcare workers and people everywhere who generously and selflessly provide essential services to each and every one of us," the statement said. "Please join us in this prayer."

Adrian, the headquarters for the order, is about 75 miles southwest of Detroit in Lenawee County. The county has had 7,021 cases of COVID-19, with a daily average of 35 cases over the past week.

Statewide, Michigan has had a total of 602,914 cases of COVID-19, with a daily average of 2,040 cases over the past week.

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