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Covid-19 cases have been confirmed in at least 212 of 400 nursing homes in the Stockholm region. This is according to the survey carried out by the region and published on Monday.
Most of the new cases in the elderly were found during Easter week and the following week, when a total of more than 800 people tested positive. The worst day was April 8, when more than 75 new cases of covid-19 were detected during one day in the elderly.
To date, a total of 1,711 people in nursing homes in the Stockholm region have been confirmed to be infected.
“We have seen an undesirably large spread in senior housing and especially in the Stockholm area,” says Malin Grape, Head of Unit of the Public Health Authority at a press conference on Monday.
The mapping has been developed with the objective of developing measures to prevent and limit more homes.
“Given that so many older people have suffered so much and have also died, it is quite clear that we need your help to quickly create more and even more effective measures,” says Per Follin, infection prevention physician in the Stockholm Region, in a Press release.
The survey, in which 227 of the elderly residents answered questionnaires, found that many houses had difficulty creating safe distances between residents.
– Many older people find it difficult to remember and understand instructions, which is often the reason they have just moved into a retirement home. Especially people with dementia, says infection control doctor Per Follin.
In 22% of the 123 residents who responded to the survey and where the disease was confirmed, more than 10 people are infected.
The survey shows that There has been a higher incidence of people who have worked with respiratory symptoms in homes where covid-19 has been found. In the comments, it has emerged that staff who became ill during current passports were not always able to leave their workplace due to staff shortages, for example at night.
– We have seen the difference between these groups, but we cannot say that this is the true cause of the spread, Per Follin tells DN.
How far can you prepare for a situation where staff get sick during ongoing training?
– I can’t answer exactly how to do it, but that includes staff planning, to try to compensate. It is very possible that the staff is sick and stays at home and for that reason a crisis situation arises. It is very difficult for me to answer. I think companies have struggled a lot with this and tried to take this into account, that’s how they reported it.
There are some uncertainties in survey responses, including protective equipment issue. While there is good access to protective gear, the free comments mention that there is no protective gear. According to Per Follin, this may be due to the fact that the image of the necessary protective equipment itself may have been colored by the media.
– Or it could be a lack of time. You may have had a deficiency in the past. We don’t know the exact reason for the answer, he says.
Is there anything based on what has emerged that gives answers about how to prevent or reduce the spread of nursing home?
– There is no single factor or measure, but there are probably many things that interact. But we understand that one of the many challenges he has had has been that he is dealing with seriously ill people who in many cases have had great health care needs, perhaps throughout the day, and that it has been difficult to keep an isolated person in this environment, says Per Follin and adds:
– Perhaps because you have not understood what isolation means, you can absorb it and you may not remember it. And that you manage health care in users’ homes. There are bigger challenges with that, says Per Follin.
The survey also shows Examples of measures taken to limit the spread of infection. These include extended cleaning routines and efforts to improve guideline skills, basic hygiene routines, and protective gear.
Malin Grape of the Public Health Agency told us on Monday about some of the measures that are considered important when it comes to ensuring that the spread of the infection is limited in Swedish nursing homes.
– It is extremely important that staff do not have symptoms, even mild ones. And the staff feels that it’s okay to stay home, that there are enough staff on site. The role of the employer is very important, she says.
SÄBO means especially homes for the elderly. This definition includes dementia accommodation, somatic accommodation, combined housing accommodation and somatic and dementia services.
Responses on which the survey is based in the Stockholm region were collected between 10-15 April.
Read more: Covid-19 has reached 75 percent of older Stockholm city residents
