In the first week of November 2020, more than 1,300 nursing homes in the United States have three or more confirmed cases of COVID-19. The analysis of the federal data reveals that this is the highest number ever in a single week in nursing homes across the country. The 1,300 does not include assisted living facilities which are not tracked by the federal government.
Some of the states that are showing the highest number of new COVID-19 infections include Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Iowa. The data reveals that nursing homes in the Midwest and the Great Plains areas are seeing the largest surge of COVID-19 infections.
Nursing Homes in rural areas also show a surge in COVID-19 confirmed infections. South Dakota nursing homes reported 253 new COVID-19 cases among residents during the week ending November 8, 2020. This number is three times the number of cases reported last month.
With the surge of new COVID-19 cases across the country, nursing homes are dealing with staffing shortages and reliable testing. In addition, many nursing homes are struggling to obtain an adequate supply of personal protective equipment.
Issue
Cases of COVID-19 are surging across the country. With this most recent surge, it is important to continue to enforce all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) infection control preventive guidelines and regulations. If these are not followed, this may be seen as placing residents in immediate jeopardy for harm and provision of substandard quality of care, which may result in monetary penalties and other sanctions.
Discussion
- Review policies and procedures for infection control, ensuring that they are up-to-date with the most recent CDC and CMS infection control guidelines. Additionally, evaluate the amount of PPE on hand and the availability of staff to address the potential for increasing numbers of COVID-19 infections.
- Train all staff to follow the facility’s policies and procedures for infection control, and provide refresher training periodically to ensure protocols are understood.
- Periodically audit to ensure that all staff members are following infection control policies and procedures, in compliance with CDC and CMS requirements.
