State must protect elderly from virus
When about 50 nursing home or assisted living residents were dying from COVID-19 each day in Connecticut back in April, the trend was heartbreaking. An interim report on the response, released Tuesday, indicates just how troubling it was: While 40 percent of the coronavirus deaths in the nation were longterm care residents, in Connecticut they were 74 percent of the deaths as of July 30.
What went wrong that Connecticut’s rate was nearly double the nation’s? This question must be addressed unflinchingly, beginning right now before the expected second wave of the virus in the fall. We cannot wait for the full report to come out on Sept. 30 — the state and the long-term care industry must act, together, now.
The report by the consulting firm Mathematica, ordered by Gov. Ned Lamont, does not point blame, but it does highlight some problems early in the pandemic response. For example, in January six of the nine positions in the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response were vacant and not filled until July. Why weren’t appointments made and how did that affect the overall response in the state?
Initially, the state Department of Public Health data collection was paper or fax-based — surprising in this age of technology. Daily electronic reporting from the facilities did not begin until May 8.
Responding to the coronavirus in the early days was challenging because so little was known about how it spread, the range and severity of symptoms, and underlying factors that could place a person at greater risk, the report notes.
Officials acted on the best information on hand at the time. Lamont made masks mandatory for health care personnel on April 4, the day after the U.S. Coronavirus Task Force called for universal mask wearing, but New York did so three weeks earlier — looking at state evidence — and had a lower percentage rate of long-term care facility deaths.
Testing for the virus is key, as with the greater population. Connecticut will cover the expense of testing staff and residents at the facilities through
Oct. 31; that should be extended. If a resident tests positive, that person should immediately be placed in recovery centers, without needing a hospital admission, the report suggests. Separate places should be designated now for staff who test positive and must be quarantined. Further, testing should be more frequent.
The report also showed that infections and deaths were concentrated in a number of nursing homes; about 30 percent had very few or no cases and deaths. Deaths were higher in for-profit facilities than nonprofit, slightly greater in chains than independent homes, and more in places without memory care units.
There’s much to consider, such as staffing details and improved communication with family members.
The eldest among us bore the greatest brunt of the deadly coronavirus early in the pandemic. Connecticut is obligated to act now so that does not happen again.
While 40 percent of the coronavirus deaths in the nation were long-term care residents, in Connecticut they were 74 percent of the deaths.