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Following the massive corona outbreaks in nursing homes in Basel, the canton is changing its testing strategy and introducing mass testing for home staff. This weekend, 1,300 nurses were examined for Corona in Baselland. The procedure is now repeated every two weeks.
The second wave literally overwhelmed the Basel-based nursing homes and retirement homes. Two-thirds of the people who died from Corona in the canton of Basel-Landschaft lived in nursing homes. For example, 17 people died at the Birsfelden retirement home and 10 people at the Rosengarten retirement center in Laufen.
The canton is now reacting and changing its strategy. This is demonstrated by the investigation of the “Regional Journal Basel”.
1,300 caregivers tested
Mass testing of home staff is now being done to prevent more deaths. This weekend, a PCR test was carried out on 1,300 nurses from the canton. Some of the tests were carried out in nursing homes, others in the Feldreben test center. The same procedure is repeated in two weeks. And then a third time in late January or early February.
We always went out to put out the fire when it was already burning. With this strategy we want to make sure there is no fire in the first place.
Thomas Götz, medical director of the Basel-based corona testing center Feldreben, explains the new strategy: “Until now, we have always chased the virus. We always went out to put out the fire when it was already burning. With this strategy, we want to make sure there is no fire in the first place. “
Caregiver infected 26 people
Götz says previous experience has shown that staff mainly introduce the virus into homes without their realizing it. She tells the example of a 35-year-old nurse who infected 26 of the 30 residents of the department she serves. She had no symptoms, but, as it turned out, she had an extremely high viral load: “She didn’t notice and went to work to the best of her knowledge and belief, but then she infected everyone.”
With the new strategy, the canton wants to filter precisely these cases of caregivers who carried the virus but who (yet) did not present any symptoms.
Canton fears outbreaks after the holidays
The canton is deliberately starting mass testing now, right after the holidays, says Götz: “People have been reunited with their families and we fear there may be a significant increase now after the holidays. Not only in the general population, but also in nursing homes. “
One third of households do not participate
However, the canton has decided not to make the tests mandatory for nursing homes. One third of the nursing homes in Basel do not participate. This includes the badly affected nursing home in Birsfelden.
Of the 2,500 nursing home employees who have direct contact with older people, 1,200 do not participate. Andrea Bürki from the Basel crisis management team says: “Of course, the canton would like all nursing homes to participate. Therefore, the canton has made a very clear and urgent recommendation to nursing homes and nursing homes. But it’s also about the personal rights of employees. And that’s why he stayed with this recommendation. “
Any outbreak that can be prevented by such a measure is a success.
At the beginning of February, the canton wants to take stock and decide whether to continue with the massive tests. When asked what outcome would speak to a successful strategy, Thomas Götz from the Feldreben corona test center replied: “Any outbreak that can be prevented with such a measure is a success. Because each outbreak usually causes death in a retirement home. “
