At the beginning of May, the World Health Organization (WHO) decreed the end of the international emergency for Covid-19, not without reiterating that this virus will continue to circulate among the population and that it will continue to be something to worry about. In fact, just yesterday, the president of this organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, expressed his concern about the increase in hospitalizations for Covid-19 in Europe, the United States and the Middle East just at the gates of autumn.
Tedros reported that “the focus is on” the EG.5 variants, which “is on the rise”, and the BA.286, which has been detected “in small numbers” in 11 countries.
At the regional level, and although in Andalusia the cumulative incidence in the general population continues at low levels, nursing homes are registering an increase in both cases and deaths.
According to the data provided by the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalusia, in the last two weeks in these centers 17 people have died from Covid, which is 7 more than in the previous period. The territorial distribution was as follows: 1 in Almería, 2 in Huelva, 3 in Jaén, 7 in Málaga and 3 in Seville. Regarding infections, 600 positives have been reported in residences in the last 15 days, 110 more than in the previous period. Thus, the incidence rate in the last 14 days in the population aged 60 or over stands at 89.3 cases per 100,000, having increased by 39.4 in relation to the last two weeks.
Given this increase in both deaths and cases in residences, the president of the Federation of Andalusian Organizations for the Elderly (FOAM), Martín Durán, warned that “it would be highly advisable to establish the mandatory use of masks for visitors and workers in those centers where a contagion occurs, proceeding to isolate those infected.
Andalusian organizations for the elderly have always defended the use of face masks as an effective measure against Covid. In fact, when the Government eliminated its obligation in all spaces, including health and social health centers, they raised their hands to their heads and called the decision “madness.”
The president of FOAM recalls that Covid-19 is “a very serious virus” that “continues to cause deaths” and that, in addition, it is leaving “important sequelae, what is called persistent Covid, which is incapacitating many people for develop their normal life.
FOAM already transferred a series of requests to the Ministry of Health last winter to try to stop Covid 19 in these vulnerable spaces. In addition to making masks mandatory, they proposed that the visits be carried out abroad again and that they be spaced out. They also advised limiting them and returning to the role of case management nurses.
However, for FOAM, the most important measure to stop Covid-19 and other serious respiratory viruses is the limitation of ratios in Andalusian residences. Currently, in centers for people with severe disorders, the ratio of direct care personnel and geriatric workers should be 0.39 (ie, 1 for every 3 users). In residences for the elderly with severe disorders, the ratio of workers per user must be 0.65 (1 worker for every 2 residents).
In this sense, Martín Nieto criticizes that the ratios “are obsolete, they come from the year 2007” for which “it would be necessary to proceed with an urgent review of them.” In addition, he insists that “it is essential to establish controls to measure quality.”
Fifth dose, only for people over 60
From the Ministry of Health of the Junta de Andalucía they remember that the fifth dose of the Covid vaccine is not necessary for the general population, but it is for certain vulnerable groups: over 60, pregnant women, immunosuppressed and health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends vaccination “with a monovalent vaccine that is effective in the omicron XBB 1.5 variant.” “The problem is that right now there is no approved vaccine that covers this variant,” said the industry counselor. Catherine Garcia. In this sense, she hopes that this new vaccine “arrives on time.”
2023-09-06 17:41:13
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