3 NEW COVID-19 OUTBREAKS IN NURSING HOMES

County numbers rise as state warns of risks in approaching flu season

San Diego County reported three new COVID-19 outbreaks and five new deaths in skilled nursing homes this week as state officials warned facilities about the risks of the upcoming flu season.

In an all-facilities letter Monday, the California Department of Public Health asked nursing home administrators to review its new recommendations for controlling both the spread of COVID-19 and the influenza virus.

“The 2020-2021 influenza season will be complicated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for concurrent COVID-19 and influenza outbreaks in [skilled nursing facilities],” the document reads in part.

During the 2018-2019 flu season, only 67.8 percent of health care providers at long-term care facilities were vaccinated for the flu, compared with 95 percent in acute care hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The Department of Health is recommending that residents and staff be given influenza vaccines to prevent the spread of the contagious respiratory illness.

This week, the county reported that out of the 87 total novel coronavirus outbreaks that have occurred since March, 22 remain active. In total, 178 residents and health care workers have died as a result of the virus.

As of Thursday, the county has reported 1,161 cases among nursing home residents and 740 cases among health care workers, up from 1,139 and 729 last week.

Unlike community outbreaks, which are defined as a group of at least three cases from separate