Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - Printable Version
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Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - M T - 06-27-2020
One of the early things the US government did that I thought would be unpopular was to ban visitors from LTCF. Maybe that was only at the VA facilities, I don't know. I heard it go by but didn't pay too much attention because I'm not in that situation currently. I believe California has such a rule. I know San Mateo Co. does, as I just went through their orders.
I suspect that has REALLY helped reduce fatalities. Look at SCC's timeline of cases in LTCF. There were few and no outbreaks after an initial, deadly wave.
But SCC is now undergoing a wave of cases in their LTCF. 34 new cases in the last 8 days of reports (June 14-21) versus 46 in the previous 44 days (May 1 to June 13). Only one facility has enough cases to show its actual numbers (12 patients, 14 staff). 4 other facilities have patient cases (< 11 in each). Of those, 3 also have staff cases. But there are SIX facilities that have staff cases but no patient cases. Other than the one facility with 26 cases, all the others must be about 1 case each.
Let me commend the individuals and the processes that kept those staff cases from becoming patient cases. Those likely represent lives saved.
I wonder where & how the other situations happened. If visitors are not allowed, then how did a patient case happen with no staff case? (New resident?)
With no visitors, I presume staff (doctors, nurses, admin staff, care-givers, maintenance, EMT) brought the disease into the facility. Furthermore, I would believe that the infections were from presymptomatic (or asymptomatic) staff. But where & how did the use of face masks and such fail?
I understand that for the patients probably do not wear masks all the time (meals, bathing, taking pills, etc.) or perhaps almost any of the time, but I would presume the staff do wear masks essentially all the time. I would presume the staff is supposed to be practicing hand hygiene.
Did the disease spread from staff to patient through inadequate rules for protecting against spread, or inadequate equipment (cotton masks used by staff instead of surgical masks), or human error (not wearing a mask, etc), or for other reasons (shared bathrooms, etc.)?
RE: Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - BostonCard - 06-27-2020
One of the general problems with long term care facilities at the onset of the pandemic is that staff are poorly paid and have irregular hours, so a lot of people cobble together a living from working in multiple facilities. That means that an outbreak in one can be transmitted to other facilities through staff members that go between them.
BC
RE: Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - fullmetal - 06-28-2020
A friend's mother has contracted covid in a LTCF from a worker there. And it's known that workers sometimes work at multiple LTCFs around a city. Stochastically, it would be impossible for LTCFs to remain insulated from the pandemic under our current economic model. With the sheer number of facilities, employees, and patients/residents involved, it would also be impossible for these facilities to remain untouched over long periods of time.
RE: Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - M T - 06-28-2020
San Mateo County Public Health Officer orders include this for LTCFs
Quote:Each Facility is strongly urged to take all reasonable steps to prevent Facility Staff from working at another Facility or other Facilities within the same 14-day period to avoid increased risk of transmission of COVID-19 from one Facility to another. Such reasonable steps include, but are not limited to, notifying all Facility Staff of the risk of working at more than one Facility and working with Facility Staff and other Facilities to avoid this increased risk to the greatest extent possible.
RE: Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - fullmetal - 06-28-2020
"Strongly urged" sounds like "we're not enforcing this labor practice." :(
RE: Staff possibly infecting LTCF patients - Mick - 06-28-2020
(06-28-2020, 01:24 AM)fullmetal Wrote: A friend's mother has contracted covid in a LTCF from a worker there. And it's known that workers sometimes work at multiple LTCFs around a city. Stochastically, it would be impossible for LTCFs to remain insulated from the pandemic under our current economic model. With the sheer number of facilities, employees, and patients/residents involved, it would also be impossible for these facilities to remain untouched over long periods of time.
I wonder if the same is true for homeless facilities, which faced unprecedented contagious infections in San Francisco. I'm not necessarily referring to the mobility of staff, but the mobility of the homeless population. I would imagine they would have occasion to visit multiple facilities.