COVID infections surge in Florida nursing homes. Hialeah home leads state with 69 deaths
Coronavirus cases are surging again in elder-care facilities nearly three months after the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an emergency order easing restrictions on visitations to nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
As of Nov. 23, 1,499 residents tested positive for the virus — a 35 percent increase from the 1,108 residents who were COVID-positive two weeks earlier, on Nov. 9. More than 2,000 staffers at these facilities also have the virus at present.
In assisted living facilities alone, the number of COVID-positive residents has jumped 70 percent from 156 to 264 in the two weeks between Nov. 9 and Nov. 23.
The increase comes amid a third wave of COVID cases nationwide, and not just in elder care, although elder-care residents are among the most vulnerable to the disease.
Florida currently has 145,524 residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, the latter being for residents requiring a lesser level of care.
Elder-care-related COVID figures reported by the Florida Health Department are snapshots in time and show only the number of people who are COVID-positive on any given day.
Seventy-eight staffers in elder-care facilities and 6,753 residents have died of the virus, according to the latest numbers reported by the state.
Last week, 3,853 residents were transferred out of nursing homes and ALFs, presumably to hospitals as their symptoms worsened.
Residents of nursing homes and other elder-care facilities are especially vulnerable given their age and the fact that many have serious underlying health conditions. But they can also suffer as a result of isolation from friends and loved ones, one motivation cited by DeSantis in ending the ban on visitation that was implemented when cases first spiked this past March.
The national COVID-19 death toll linked to nursing homes and assisted living facilities surpassed 100,000 on Wednesday, according to data compiled by the Wall Street Journal.
Just as some feared family gatherings on Thanksgiving could soon lead to a spike in coronavirus cases, there are concerns that increased visitation at elder-care homes on or around the holiday could contribute to a surge.
Overall, the state recorded more than 8,000 positive tests on five of seven days leading into Thanksgiving.
It is far from a Florida-only phenomenon. According to the latest White House coronavirus task force report — published by the investigative nonprofit news outlet Center for Public Integrity — Hawaii and Maine are the only two states not in the “red zone,” having recorded fewer than 101 new cases per 100,000 residents.
The Florida Department of Health did not respond to requests for comment.
Gov. DeSantis had suspended visitation to nursing homes on March 14. He issued the emergency order lifting the restriction on Sept. 1.
According to the new rules, all visitors to the facilities must wear masks. Each facility must have sufficient staff to support visitor-management and have adequate disinfecting supplies and personal protective equipment for staffers.
Visitation is allowed in a facility only if there are no new resident cases within 14 days other than in a quarantined wing that accepts COVID-19 patients. If a staffer tests positive for COVID-19, the facility must immediately cease all visitation in the event that the person was on the premises in the 10 days prior to the positive test.
The number of staffers who are positive for the virus decreased by a fifth from 2,533 on Nov. 9 to 2,037 on Nov. 23.
But staffers remain concerned about access to PPE, and the potential for contracting the virus and passing it on to their families, said DeQuasia Canales, vice president of the South Florida chapter of Local 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents more than 25,000 healthcare workers in Florida.
While access to PPE may have improved at some facilities, “it’s a mixed bag,” Canales said. “Some places it’s gotten worse.”
“What we need from the state level, our governor, Department of Health, on down to the county levels, is a consistent message and response making sure that those who provide care get the proper PPE that they need and they get it on a regular basis,” she said.
Sunset Lake Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 15-minute drive from Venice in Sarasota County, has the most number of positive cases at present. Thirty-three staffers and 48 residents at the nursing home have the virus.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the facility were unsuccessful Wednesday.
With 69 resident deaths, Hialeah Nursing & Rehabilitation Center leads the state when it comes to COVID deaths in elder-care facilities. At second place — with 57 deaths — is Fair Havens Center in Miami Springs, which became a death trap in the first few months of lockdown.
“Hialeah Nursing & Rehabilitation Center remains committed to the care and safety of our residents and staff, and we continue taking critical steps to keep them protected, following all CDC guidelines and working with our state and local health officials and regulatory partners,” said Emma F. Dial, administrator of the facility.
“Since tests became available, all residents and staff have been tested weekly. We are excited about the vaccines and hope to receive adequate supplies in either late December or early January to vaccinate all residents and staff,” she said.
Fair Havens Center could not immediately be reached for comment.
McClatchy Washington Bureau’s Ben Wieder contributed to this story.
This story was originally published November 27, 2020 at 7:30 AM.
