Florida Nursing Homes Worry About More COVID-19 Cases

When the coronavirus first appeared in early March, the state of Florida barricaded its nursing homes to try and protect the elderly residents inside. Family visits were banned, isolation wings were created and regular testing every two weeks became the new normal.

More recently, the state has seen a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in the elderly. Case numbers have jumped from almost 2,000 to 4,800 in some nursing homes. Around 2,500 long-term care residents and staff have died and account for almost 45% of all virus deaths in Florida.

Like Neumann, Vice president at Palm Garden, a senior living center with 14 facilities, said:

“Where you see COVID hot spots, our anxiety level in our centers automatically goes up. Our vigilance goes through the roof. That’s how societies are judged in part — by how you care for the weak and aged.”

While these numbers seem high, the ratio of deaths to population isn’t as severe as the ones on the upper east coast in places like New York and New Jersey. In Florida, there are around 180 deaths per 10,000 long-term facility residents. During the height of the pandemic in March and April, New York saw about 400 deaths per 10,000 nursing home residents, while New Jersey saw more than 1,100.

To address this concern, Florida is now setting up isolation facilities for residents who are out of the hospital but are still testing positive for COVID-19, but industry officials don’t think thats going to be enough.

Source:
ABC