COVID struck a nursing home in a series of fatal outbreaks, the new report says

When COVID struck nursing homes across the country, it was hit by a series of devastating waves.

so New report to CongressThe US Government Accountability Office examined case data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that many facilities had an average of about three outbreaks between May 2020 and January 2021, and nursing homes were coronavirus. I found out that I was attacked many times. Of those cases, they were brought in by the staff.

According to GAO, more than three-quarters of nursing homes had long-term outbreaks in most states. Only eight, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, reported low long-term virus outbreaks.

In New Jersey, the virus attacked particularly violently. Nearly eight-tenths of nursing homes had an outbreak that lasted more than five weeks. According to the state, at least 8,045 deaths from COVID-19 occur among residents and staff in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Ministry of Health data..

“In New Jersey, there was at least one more near 85% of the care facilities that occurred in New Jersey,” said Don Tomas, a spokesman for the State Health Department. “The outbreak at the facility was closely related to the spread of the community. In most cases, it was brought to the facility by staff contracted with the community. Due to the widespread community spread in our state, COVID Was reintroduced to the facility. “

Today, there are 169 active outbreaks in about 700 long-term care facilities in New Jersey, reported by the Ministry of Health.

According to the CDC, the outbreak begins in the week when the nursing home reports a new resident or staff COVID-19 case and ends in the two weeks when there are no new cases.

In particular, more than half of the cases in long-term care facilities began with staff cases in the first week of the outbreak.

According to industry insiders, the findings emphasize that once the virus has settled, it is difficult to contain it.

“GAO reports confirm that an outbreak of COVID-19 at a facility has nothing to do with infection control policies, investigation performance, staff levels, ownership types, or other factors. “We are,” said the New Jersey Healthcare Association, which represents the state’s long-term care providers. “With tools and guidance implemented for almost every period of 2020, Covid-19 also invaded nursing homes through asymptomatic carriers when it was present in the external community.”

Alonson also said the GAO report confirmed that nursing home COVID was not a New Jersey-specific issue. With the introduction of the coronavirus vaccine, he said the current situation was “much better than it was for most of 2020.”

Thomas said vaccination has been clearly shown to help reduce the number of outbreaks, the number of residents infected with the outbreak, and the severity of their illness. “Vaccination against COVID-19 is very important for both residents and staff to prevent the outbreak of COVID-19 at these facilities,” said a spokeswoman for the Department of Health.

Still, there are staff throughout the state who are still avoiding vaccination. According to the report, about 84.6% of caregivers and 59.7% of employees are fully vaccinated. COVID-19 status database.

GAO analysts said their analysis highlighted the challenges faced by most nursing homes in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

They found no difference between homes with long-term and short-term outbreaks and whether their facilities were for-profit, non-profit, or government-run.

The report also stated that a study of the distribution of nursing homes cited in pre-pandemic infection prevention and management deficiencies and nursing homes with long-term and short-term outbreaks “showed no significant difference.” However, most nursing homes in each of these groups have had infection prevention and management deficiencies cited in the last few years.

However, larger nursing homes with many beds are more likely to occur, GAO reported.

Meanwhile, death from coronavirus in a New Jersey care facility, Has dropped significantly in the last few months..At least 28 people died from COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection) According to NJA advance Media analysis of state data, it was recorded in a long-term care facility in March, killing at least 31 people in April. It has led to some degree of normality recovery in many nursing homes..

Earlier this month, new guidance from the state paved the way for residents to welcome visitors to their private rooms. Hair stylists who screen for symptoms and wear masks are also back to take care of their nursing home clients. Also, if the inhabitants are vaccinated, they can resume their meals in the group dining room without covering their faces or keeping a social distance.

Still, Thomas said continuous vigilance is needed to minimize the introduction of the virus and the spread of the virus once it has been introduced. The facility must maintain core infection prevention and control practices, she said.

“Staff and residents should be vaccinated against the illness they are vaccinated against. They should be regularly screened for signs of illness and instructed to isolate or stay at home if ill. Yes, we need to adhere to basic infection control procedures, “she said. ..

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Ted Sherman may reach at [email protected].. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL..