There has been a lot of discussion on the risks of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have experienced many changes in 2020 that we have no control over. These changes have had even more impact on our residents and families. We are no longer able to celebrate special events, dine in our dining rooms, hug our family members, …
Rinse and Repeat?
The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the world has created unprecedented healthcare, social, and economic disaster. With the most significant mode of transmission considered to be through aerosolized droplets, wearing masks and social distancing can significantly decrease transmission and spread. Nasal rinses and mouthwashes which directly treat the major sites of reception and transmission of HCoV, may provide an additional …
Saliva Testing
As reported in McKnight’s Senior Living publication on October 16, 2020, we have become an innovative sector! A California-based senior living company is adopting the COVID-19 testing approach of professional sports teams to create “safety bubbles” among its staff and residents. The testing process provides accuracy levels that mirror typical PCR tests. Pools of up to 100 associates and residents …
Coronavirus – Twice as Contagious!
Impact 2020 BY KATIE CAMERO SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 During the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization estimated that each sick individual was infecting an average of two others. This “basic reproductive number” or (RO) and pronounced “R naught”, reveals how contagious a disease is. Now, new research from Duke University says the number was likely twice …
Uh Oh – Reinfection?
In an article published in Medscape on October 12, 2020, there have been two confirmed cases of COVID-19 reinfections in the United States. A 25-year-old man from Nevada and a 42-year-old man in Virginia experienced second bouts of COVID-19 about 2 months after they tested positive the first time. Gene tests show both men had two slightly different strains of …
Mortality Rate – Unionized Centers
Among 355 nursing homes in New York State for which data on COVID-19 mortality rates were available, the presence of a health care worker union was associated with a 30% lower mortality rate from COVID-19 among nursing home residents. The findings were robust to adjustment for a range of covariates and specification checks for bias from missing data. We also …
COVID-19 Rates Can Plummet?
Your lips to God’s ear right? Well, that is what was discussed in a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society on September 15, 2020. To give a little background, in April 2020, Massachusetts Nursing Homes became a hotspot for COVID-19 infections and associated deaths. In response, Governor Charles Baker allocated $130 million in additional funding for …
Skin in the Game!
The novel coronavirus can linger on human skin much longer than flu viruses can, according to a new study from researchers in Japan. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remained viable on samples of human skin for about 9 hours, according to the study. In contrast, a strain of influenza A virus (IAV) remained viable on human skin for about …
Negative Pressure Isolation
Negative pressure isolation space is an effective method to meet needed surge capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics. Planning for how and where to rapidly create a negative pressure isolation space is needed in congregate living areas such as skilled nursing facilities. In an article published in the American Journal of Infection Control (9-14-2020), they demonstrate the feasibility …
Fear – The Driving Force
On October 21, 2020, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published an article on PSNet Patient Safety Network that patients are delaying or forgoing routine, urgent, and emergent health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the high risk of these behaviors and possibly an overabundance of caution by the general public, a cohort study was conducted that included …