Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Boston: library, spray, results)

[robr2]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

I don't think you understand how it gets into nursing homes. The residents don't bring it in. Most nursing homes suspended visitation at least 8 weeks ago so visitors don't bring it in. It's the staff that brings it in. All it takes is one asymptomatic staff member and you have an outbreak. Nobody is doing White House-level screening of nursing home staff with daily COVID-19 testing. Have a cough? No. Does the thermometer show 98.6? Yep. Off to your shift. At near-minimum wage, an awful lot of staff are using mass transit and living in multi-generational high density housing. Those are the communities with the high infection rates. If the recent Boston community testing is representative, only 13.3% test positive for antibodies. That's not herd immunity. It will continue to get into nursing homes just like the flu gets into nursing homes.

My mother is in the memory care facility of a CCRC. They suspended visitation on March 10th. That building has managed to avoid it but the skilled nursing facility had an outbreak with deaths and the assisted living part had an outbreak with one death. It's kind of dumb luck that the memory care building avoided it. No matter how much staff screening they do, they're not going to catch that asymptomatic person.

Bingo - as I've noted before, both my parent's are in an ASL. The vast majority of the cases they've had have been asymptomatic. And the staff often work in multiple facilities carrying it from place to place.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

It still is kind of suspicious to me the way this is affecting nursing homes. It is what it is but there aren’t that many cases of corona....odd that so many workers in nursing homes are getting it and spreading it.

Covid-19 is not rare though - at least in a handful of states including Mass, it's fairly common. And it's not just nursing home workers. Healthcare workers in hospitals have also been getting Covid-19, I believe 10s of thousands of them. Nursing home workers are typically poorly paid, and many of them work in multiple facilities therefore - which increases their chances of picking up the virus as well as their capacity for spreading it. And then once it enters into a facility like a nursing home, you have lots of people living in close quarters, most of them with a range of health issues, so it can spread and do lots of damage rapidly.

[mdovell]

Nursing homes, homeless shelters, prisons and maybe mental hospitals are hotbeds. Native American reservations are also extremely high but haven't been in the press. I can tell you there's probably at least four investigations of the old soldiers home in Holyoke. Between the VA, the state maybe the FBI etc.

The other thing I just noticed is today as I'm writing this they are disinfecting the Skyview tower in springfield. This has the most floors outside of boston (34) see #8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...sive_of_Boston

You know those spraying videos of places like Moscow and China? Well it's happening now..here. It sounds like a very long running car wash. I know they aren't cleaning the windows because they are spraying the walls of the building itself via the scaffolding. Numbers are down here and will continue to drop but I have to wonder if this is something boston has been waiting for.

[bohemka]

Originally Posted by mdovell

Nursing homes, homeless shelters, prisons and maybe mental hospitals are hotbeds. Native American reservations are also extremely high but haven't been in the press. I can tell you there's probably at least four investigations of the old soldiers home in Holyoke. Between the VA, the state maybe the FBI etc.

The other thing I just noticed is today as I'm writing this they are disinfecting the Skyview tower in springfield. This has the most floors outside of boston (34) see #8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...sive_of_Boston

You know those spraying videos of places like Moscow and China? Well it's happening now..here. It sounds like a very long running car wash. I know they aren't cleaning the windows because they are spraying the walls of the building itself via the scaffolding. Numbers are down here and will continue to drop but I have to wonder if this is something boston has been waiting for.

Maybe I misunderstood you, but they are spraying the exterior of the building? What would that accomplish?

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Covid-19 is not rare though - at least in a handful of states including Mass, it's fairly common. And it's not just nursing home workers. Healthcare workers in hospitals have also been getting Covid-19, I believe 10s of thousands of them. Nursing home workers are typically poorly paid, and many of them work in multiple facilities therefore - which increases their chances of picking up the virus as well as their capacity for spreading it. And then once it enters into a facility like a nursing home, you have lots of people living in close quarters, most of them with a range of health issues, so it can spread and do lots of damage rapidly.

Yes. I think one potential solution is to compensate nursing home workers handsomely to live on the campus or otherwise in quarantine, but I doubt that will actually happen, which is sad. Surely though, gov directions that nursing homes were mandated to take Covid patients really didn't help either. So at this point it's really trying to make the bets of a very bad situation. The nursing home situation was badly bungled on all sides, and that's a real shame.

[Bridge781]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Yes. I think one potential solution is to compensate nursing home workers handsomely to live on the campus or otherwise in quarantine, but I doubt that will actually happen, which is sad. Surely though, gov directions that nursing homes were mandated to take Covid patients really didn't help either. So at this point it's really trying to make the bets of a very bad situation. The nursing home situation was badly bungled on all sides, and that's a real shame.

That would be a great idea but not sure how that would work if the workers have kids and spouses. I guess they’d all have to quarantine in the space together. A lot to ask.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Yes. I think one potential solution is to compensate nursing home workers handsomely to live on the campus or otherwise in quarantine, but I doubt that will actually happen, which is sad. Surely though, gov directions that nursing homes were mandated to take Covid patients really didn't help either. So at this point it's really trying to make the bets of a very bad situation. The nursing home situation was badly bungled on all sides, and that's a real shame.

That's actually happening in quite a few types of residential treatment facilities already (not sure about Nursing Homes but I'd be surprised if it wasn't). Usually in two week rotations - a crew lives at the facility for 2 weeks, then rotates out with another crew to live there for two weeks while the original crew is home and quarantines.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by cb2008

Any guideline on letting your housecleaning person come into your home to clean?

Talk about a first world problem!!

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by Bridge781

That would be a great idea but not sure how that would work if the workers have kids and spouses. I guess they’d all have to quarantine in the space together. A lot to ask.

At the geri psych service where a staff friend was infected by a patient, the service was closed to admissions for the time being and all patients and staff were tested. Three patients were tested positive with no symptoms, and that's with people who are very vulnerable. Several staff were positive also.

There is no way to socially distance in a geriatric setting requiring assist with basic care and walking, etc. Patients/residents are extremely unlikely to keep a mask on. Many staff are low-income, work multiple places, ride public transport or carpool, live in relatively crowded family housing. There really is no way to prevent the spread under these circumstances, although all staff wearing a mask at work should help.

I imagine it would be impossible to expect any staff to be able to sleep in place. I can't think of any staff I knew that could do it for any amount of money, never mind time.

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

Talk about a first world problem!!

Where on the internet do you think you are? This is basically a forum dedicated to solving first worst problems.