Coronavirus creates emergencies in nursing homes

Hundreds of elderly people in nursing homes and nursing homes in the United States are at risk of being positive for COVID-19, a disease that has proven to be particularly fatal to older people.

The disease caused by the new coronavirus is spreading wildfire in hundreds of nursing homes. There is already a high risk of disease outbreaks due to shortages of labor, shortages of staff, shortages of supplies, and poor government supervision.

The federal and state governments should do more to stop the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes, but authorities have relaxed regulations to keep the population safe and where the outbreak is occurring Claims that there is no transparency.

“If you get the virus in a nursing home, it can be a death sentence,” says Charlene Harrington, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco and a professor studying nursing homes. Was.

“It’s really an emergency, but I don’t think they’re treating it that way,” Harrington said of the federal government.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.5 million people live in 15,000 nursing homes across the United States. Nursing homes have long faced the problem of controlling infectious diseases and the spread of the virus, a weakness that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.

A CDC spokesperson stated that he was aware of cases at more than 400 nursing homes as of Tuesday. Last week, it highlighted the speed at which the virus was hitting nursing homes, saying it knew of the cases at 147 of those facilities.

However, the number of nursing homes that have or have died of COVID-19 is unknown because the federal government has not made the information public.

A CDC spokesperson did not respond to questions about the total number and fatalities at these 400 facilities. A spokeswoman also said that the name of the facility that cares for residents at COVID-19 would not reach agencies.

However, local media coverage from around the country, and some information released by the state government, indicate that the problem is widespread.

Former CDC director Tom Frieden has called the COVID-19 retirement home “ground zero” and noted that the first outbreak in the United States occurred in a center in Kirkland, Washington.

“The experience in Kirkland, Washington was a warning, what we call a sentinel event and a sentinel for what would happen inevitably,” Frieden said.

A spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health told Hill that as of Tuesday, 1,456 COVID-19 cases, including 278 deaths, had been identified in 188 nursing homes in the state. In Florida, at least 66 cases have been identified in long-term care facilities. 47 cases have been identified in Arkansas nursing homes, while 132 cases have been reported in 167 nursing homes in Pennsylvania.

Information published by other state governments about outbreaks in nursing homes varies, and in some cases is sparse.

New Jersey Health Department Secretary Judith Parsicily said this week that at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 had been reported at 81 of the state’s 375 nursing homes. However, the department did not answer questions about how many cases had occurred.

A California State Department spokeswoman does not provide case counts in state nursing homes because it does not classify data by facility type.

Due to lack of information from the government, families have been forced to scrutinize local media reports, press releases, and statements from nursing homes to determine if relatives are staying in facilities experiencing an outbreak. Has been done. Proponents say that some states do not name facilities affected by the outbreak and leave families and residents in the dark.

“It’s very cruel to let people in nursing homes be exposed to fatal illnesses that can be transmitted,” said Michael Connors, a defender of California nursing home advocates. Said.

According to Connors, his organization is rushing for calls, information and advice from family and residents.

Controlling the spread of infectious diseases in nursing homes has long been a problem.

Proponents state that a combination of factors at these facilities has caused a complete storm of COVID-19 outbreaks. Approximately 75% of nursing homes are understaffed, requiring employees to fight multiple patients, making it difficult to follow proper infection control protocols.

“Deficiencies in infection control are the most common problems in nursing homes, and we see what happens if there are viruses around the world without washing our hands.”

According to Harrington, the staff are ill because they are underpaid and do not have paid sick leave.

In the fight against the outbreak of COVID-19, many nursing homes were left without protective clothing, lacked personal protective equipment such as gloves and masks, caused employees to become ill, and viruses to spread. Preventing it from spreading to the patient.

Nursing homes also complain that there are not enough test kits for employees and staff. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the state government recommend that nursing home employees check their temperature before coming to work. However, data have emerged indicating that some people infected with the virus may not show symptoms.

The CMS also recommends shutting down facilities that allow visitors, including family members, to limit the invasion of the virus into the facility. The CMS has also stated that it will focus the necessary nursing home inspections on infection control to ensure that employees are following guidelines.

However, in the weeks after the CMS released its guidance, more retirement homes have reported infections, and the problem may be out of control due to the nationwide spread of the coronavirus. Is shown.

At the Pleasant Bureau of Nursing Homes in Maryland, 77 people were diagnosed with the virus. At the Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation Center in California, 51 people tested positive. Arkansas has reported 47 cases of COVID-19 in its nursing homes. At least 74 people have tested positive in the Gallatin Rehabilitation and Healing Center in Tennessee.

In Virginia, 44 cases at one care home account for 33% of the state’s total confirmed cases.

Proponents say the government has relaxed regulations aimed at keeping the population safe. In California, the state’s public health department has exempted minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes.

The CMS also issued guidance that re-hospitalization cannot be refused in nursing homes simply because they test positive for COVID-19. California, New York and other states are following that guidance.

“We think it’s very inappropriate advice,” Connors said.

“It seems that California has declared war on residents of nursing homes. The state says that forcing COVID-19 patients into hospitals in nursing homes can cause fatal outbreaks and kill residents. I know, but I do it anyway. “