Warning from nursing homes chief over increase in coronavirus clusters
THE latest increase in clusters of Covid-19 in nursing homes is a “worrying development”, the CEO of Nursing Homes Ireland has warned.
His comment comes as residents and staff have been placed in isolation in a Co Laois nursing home, where 18 people have tested positive for the virus.
A letter sent on Sunday by the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly points to 31 outbreaks in nursing homes, seven of which have been reported in the past week.
“It’s a worrying development,” said Tadgh Daly, CEO of Nursing homes Ireland (NHI).
“We have seen it all the way through, and all the leading health experts have agreed, that if there is a spike in community transmission in a particular community then it increases the likelihood of an outbreak in any health facility, nursing homes and hospitals.”
Mr Daly said he was also concerned that the current trend in nursing homes was mentioned in the latest letter from Nphet to the Government.
“We are monitoring the HSE data on an ongoing basis and we are watching the new clusters that are opening because that’s the one we would be concerned about,” he said.
“The fact that seven new clusters appeared last week is a worrying development. Also, the fact that the chief medical officer mentioned it in his letter to Government is an indication of the concern within Nphet of the growing incidence with regard to community transmission.
“There is a direct correlation between community transmission and nursing home outbreaks.
“There is a responsibility on all of us in society to get this back under control because none of us want to see a return to the tragedy of March and April in our nursing homes.”
Meanwhile, relatives of residents at a nursing home in Portlaoise were informed on Friday that routine coronavirus tests, carried out the previous day, had proved positive in 18 cases.
The outbreak at Kilminchy Lodge Nursing Home has caused considerable shock and concern among residents’ relatives.
The nursing home has capacity for 52 mainly elderly patients.
The nursing home did not respond to several requests for comment when contacted by the Irish Independent.
As the entire country moves to Level 3 restrictions, visits will not be permitted in nursing homes, unless on compassionate or critical grounds.
Under the current guidelines, outdoor and window visiting is allowed no matter what level of restrictions have been imposed.