Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nursing Home Staffers Helped Spread Coronavirus In Seattle When Working At Multiple Facilities
The Associated Press: Sick Staff Fueled Outbreak In Seattle-Area Care Centers
Staff members who worked while sick at multiple long-term care facilities contributed to the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable elderly in the Seattle area, federal health officials said Wednesday. Thirty-five coronavirus deaths have been linked to Life Care Center in Kirkland. A report Wednesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided the most detailed account to date of what drove the outbreak still raging in the Seattle area where authorities closed down restaurants, bars, health clubs, movie theaters and other gathering spots this week. (Johnson and Stobbe, 3/18)
Los Angeles Times: Nursing Home Staff Spread Coronavirus To Other Facilities, CDC Investigation Finds
Staff members at the Seattle-area nursing home overrun by COVID-19 spread the coronavirus to other facilities where they worked, an investigation led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found. The report published Wednesday said that as of March 9, the CDC confirmed 129 COVID-19 cases among people linked to Life Care Center of Kirkland. These comprise 81 residents, 34 staff members and 14 visitors. (Read, 3/18)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Nursing Homes Are Running Out Of Protective Equipment Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
A national organization that represents nursing homes and assisted-living facilities said Wednesday that there already are sporadic shortages of protective equipment for staff and that 20% of facilities say they could run out of masks and gowns next week. Another 20% would run out the week after that, according to the American Health Care Association. The group is calling for people who do not currently need protective equipment to share their inventories with medical providers, and lauded dentists in Ohio for doing so. (Burling, 3/18)
Politico: Coronavirus Surfaces In 19 Elder Care Facilities In Florida
Nineteen long-term care facilities in Florida have either a suspected or confirmed case of the coronavirus, including two confirmed cases in Duval and Broward counties. Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew said she could not divulge the name or addresses of the nursing facilities, citing patient privacy requirements. She said she would look into providing more information in aggregate. (Glorioso, 3/18)
The Associated Press: Ill. Virus Cases Top 200, Include 42 Tied To Nursing Home
An additional 128 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Illinois, including 20 more individuals living or working at a nursing home in a southwestern suburb of Chicago, state officials announced Wednesday. The additional results bring the state’s total to 288 cases in 17 counties, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The patients have ranged in age from 9 to 91, and one person has died — a Chicago woman in her 60s. (Foody, 3/18)
