Are positive covid 19 residents of care homes in Canada, quarantining within the care home itself?
Answers
When a facility experiences an epidemic, an emergency operations team should form, including local and regional public health administration, LTCH administrators/directors, IPC practitioners, and other external assistance for resident and staff testing, PPE purchase, personnel/staffing, and communications as needed.
At this stage, it is crucial to find out if the person or people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 exposed other members of the LTCH staff or residents while the virus was still contagious.
In the event of confirmation of COVID-19, any contacts (defined according to facility, municipal, and jurisdictional public health and IPC advice) should be separated and tested.
People who share a room with someone who has COVID-19 should not get moved into a room with another person who does not have the virus. Start a line listing of cases and contacts and update it as required.
If a patient is diagnosed with COVID-19 within 14 days after being transferred from another healthcare institution, you should notify the hospital or other healthcare facility and the local public health authority. Every person who lives at the facility should test for the disease at the first sign of an outbreak and again under the facility’s local public health and IPC guidance.
Outbreak management tactics may include, but are not limited to:
• Clean and disinfect more frequently, focusing on surfaces that people touch.
• Additional travel limitations for residents, as well as the cessation of non-essential activities, including community activities
• Use of portable technology (e.g., portable x-ray machines) to reduce needless resident transfers while guaranteeing proper cleaning and disinfection between residents.
• Staff and residents will often receive active screening for COVID-19 signs and symptoms.
• Track down employees, residents, and visitors who may have had contact with sick individuals to check whether they are aware of the situation.
• Analyze the potential influence of isolation and visiting restrictions on residents’ physical, psychological, social, and emotional well-being.
