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The new wave of corona cases mainly affects young people, but the virus is slowly but surely starting to penetrate into nursing homes. Despite the high vaccination coverage, the virus is still entering nursing homes. How can it be? And will nursing homes have to close again?
It is not surprising that the number of infections in nursing homes is rising while everyone there is vaccinated. Researchers from the London School of Economics (LSE) have studied mortality in nursing homes in 24 countries. It is clear that the higher the mortality rate in society, the higher the mortality rate in nursing homes. Whatever measures are taken, a visiting association, mouth caps and protective clothing, the virus will penetrate if it also occurs in society at large layers of the population.
General distribution in the community
The study shows that countries such as South Korea, Singapore and New Zealand have managed to keep the general social infection rate low. Those same countries were also successful in keeping mortality in nursing homes low. Countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, on the other hand, had a high distribution in society and therefore a high mortality rate in nursing homes. No factor can explain nursing home mortality better than the general distribution in the community.
Research by research organization Vilans shows that most countries from North-West Europe took approximately the same measures in nursing homes, but at a different pace. These measures were only able to limit the spread of the virus in the community to a limited extent. They were not sufficient to protect vulnerable people in nursing homes, if at the same time the virus was proliferating in society.
Now that we are in the fourth wave of the corona crisis, we can conclude that special efforts to protect the elderly during pandemics are certainly important and necessary, especially if it happens quickly. In addition, the vaccines also do their job. That is different from the first phase of the pandemic. But they do not provide complete protection. The most important thing is to keep the infection rate in society low. Otherwise, nursing homes will again feel compelled to limit visitors and deploy their employees fully wrapped in protective clothing. Nobody wants that!
This is an expert quote from Henk Nies, Vilans, in the context of ANP Expert Support.
Henk Nies, Director Strategy and Development, Vilans
Bron: ANP Expert Support
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