Plea for tests as elderly die alone
New Zealand’s fourth coronavirus victim died separated from his family – the second death in days from a group of rest home residents who have tested positive for the virus, sparking calls for more stringent testing to protect those who are most vulnerable.
The man, in his 70s, died at Burwood Hospital on Friday. He was one of 13 residents of the Rosewood Rest Home in Christchurch who have been confirmed as having coronavirus.
The virus has now caused four deaths in New Zealand. As was the situation with the death on Thursday of another Rosewood resident, a woman in her 90s, the man’s family were not permitted to visit him before he died.
Health officials have warned more deaths may come. The Aged Care Association says the lonely deaths were a tragedy waiting to happen, and more must be done: new rest home residents and aged-care workers should be tested for Covid-19.
There are now 18 Rosewood residents at Burwood Hospital. Initially 20 elderly from the home’s dementia ward were moved for their care to be ‘‘managed’’, and they have not been included in the tally of Covid-19 hospital admissions– a total of 15 yesterday, including five people in intensive care, one in a critical condition.
Dr Sue Nightingale, incident controller at the Canterbury District Health Board (DHB), yesterday clarified that the rest home residents were moved to the hospital because of a lack of staff and because a larger facility was required to isolate the patients.
At Burwood, there are large rooms with ensuites and dedicated areas for staff to put on and take off protective equipment.
‘‘It is however important to understand that some of these residents have underlying health concerns and were unwell before they arrived at Burwood,’’ she said.
Some were receiving end of life care. The hospital staff, which included DHB nurses and a GP, were providing personalised care to these patients, she said.
‘‘I know this is also much appreciated by families who can’t be there in person.’’
The Ministry of Health was yesterday reassessing whether the Burwood patients should be included in the tally of hospital admissions.
The ministry’s director of public health, Dr Caroline McElnay, who brought news of the two deaths at a previously unplanned press conference yesterday afternoon, said she could not rule out more of the Rosewood residents dying.
‘‘I’ve been assured today that all the residents who were moved to Burwood, whilst they’re frail and they’re not well, they’re being managed and given the best chief executive, Aged Care Association possible care,’’ she said.
How the virus reached Rosewood Rest Home remained under investigation. McElnay said another cluster of the virus, meaning 10 or more connected cases, had been confirmed at the George Manning rest home in Christchurch.
This cluster of 14 confirmed and probable cases, including both residents and staff, was well contained, she said.
‘‘We will be in touch with all district health boards to make sure that they are in contact with their residential care facilities to emphasise with them the need to have good policies in place around visitors,’’ McElnay said.
A man in his 80s also died on Friday, at Wellington Regional
Hospital. He was connected to a known cluster of the virus, but the ministry refused to give further details.
Simon Wallace, chief executive of the Aged Care Association, said the death of two rest home residents was a ‘‘tragedy waiting to happen’’.
‘‘The real tragedy in these two people who have died at Burwood . . . is the families couldn’t be there in their last days of life. And that’s a great shame.’’
Wallace said he wanted all rest home staff to be tested for Covid19, in order to safeguard vulnerable residents. The association has written to the directorgeneral of health asking for all new residents entering homes to be tested.
The ministry responded by saying testing would be kept for people with coronavirus symptoms, Wallace said.
‘‘We are adamant that all our residents, whether they’re asymptomatic or not, because of the vulnerability of older people, should be tested.
‘‘It’s not a big ask, and it’s not an unreasonable position given the vulnerability of our old people – and we’ve seen that, we’ve seen that in the last two days.’’
There were 700 new rest home residents every week, he said, and the ministry had the capacity to run more than 40,000 tests a week – much of which were going unused.
Two cases of coronavirus have also been reported at Ellerslie Gardens Lifecare, in Auckland.
Both a resident and nurse have tested positive for the virus, but the rest home has informed families there was a reluctance from health officials to test other residents who might have been exposed, but were asymptomatic.
‘‘The real tragedy in these two people who have died at Burwood . . . is the families couldn’t be there in their last days of life.’’ Simon Wallace