Is it just me or is this article just "Heres something that should be obvious
to anyone with a brain."?
-Curt
On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, 7:39:55 AM EST, archer75--- via Mercedes
<mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote:
Florida’s seniors most at risk if coronavirus spreads
“Florida is the grayest state in the nation.” Now the AARP wants state
officials to address the risks faced by Florida’s most vulnerable to
coronavirus: The elderly.
Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the Tampa Bay area.
• • •
As the reach of coronavirus grows in the U.S., seniors are particularly at risk.
No state has a higher share of residents who are in their 70s, 80s or older
than Florida.
Though it is difficult to estimate the virus’ exact fatality rate, early data
indicates older people who catch it are at a higher risk of dying. In a study
of more than 44,000 confirmed cases in mainland China, the overall fatality
rate was 2.3 percent. But in patients 80 years and older, the death rate was
more than six times as high. (About 14 percent)
For patients in their 70s, the rate was 8 percent, four times as high as the
overall rate. Another study this week estimated a lower overall death rate but
still found fatality rates were higher for older patients.
Related: CDC confirms Florida’s first two cases of coronavirus; more are
expected
In Florida, where officials had announced three cases of the virus as of
Tuesday — a woman in her 20s and a traveling companion who have been
quarantined in Hillsborough County, and a Manatee County man in his 60s — AARP
Florida called for protecting the the state’s elderly residents.
“Florida is the grayest state in the nation, tied with Maine," said AARP
Florida spokesman David Bruns. "If there’s any place for public agencies and
industry to be watching very carefully, this is the place.”
Elderly patients are more likely to suffer the most severe coronavirus
symptoms, including death, said Jay Wolfson, a professor of public health,
medicine and pharmacy at the University of South Florida. But there are also
particular challenges in providing care for them.
“Placing persons in isolation requires systems of care available to support at
least 14 days of quarantine. And the higher rate of severe impact among the
elderly would also mean that our hospitals would be faced with an increased
census of very sick, highly contagious people.”
Wolfson warned of a combination of health risks in Florida.
“We are in the midst of a flu season, a high pollen season that is causing
allergic reactions, the winter influx of people from all over the U.S. and the
world, and the invasion by a new virus about which we are learning as we go,
but for which we do not yet have a vaccine.”
Bruns, the AARP spokesman, said elder care facilities are of particular concern
because they cluster older patients together in a communal setting, overseen by
staff who are constantly moving from patient to patient.
In Kirkland, Wa., an outbreak of the virus has killed four people at a nursing
home, among the first coronavirus-related deaths counted in the U.S. Four other
residents and a health care worker also have contracted the virus.
In Florida, there are more than 3,000 assisted-living facilities, including
about 700 nursing care centers. Though none have counted a case of coronavirus,
“those all should be areas that are receiving extra attention," Bruns said.
In 2017, the state learned what happens when those facilities are unprepared
for an emergency: A dozen residents of the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood
Hills died of heat-related illnesses after Hurricane Irma knocked out the air
conditioning.
Another concern is senior centers, where the elderly gather for meals and other
social activities, then return home. More than two dozen executives from
Miami-Dade senior centers, nursing homes and other providers held a two-hour
meeting Monday with Mayor Carlos Gimenez to address coronavirus, reported the
Miami Herald.
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The mayor said senior centers worry him more than nursing homes because they
don’t have medical personnel and seniors rely on them for food and other needs.
Who will feed them if they have to stay home? “If it gets to be that extreme,
how do we provide services to those folks at their domiciles?” the mayor told
the Miami Herald.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a pandemic planning
checklist for long-term care and residential health facilities. It recommends
designating staff members and teams to coordinate decisions, advises on
strategies for isolating residents with symptoms and suggests ways to address
potential staff absences.
The Florida Healthcare Association, which represents 550 nursing care
facilities, is also trying to ensure prevention is top-of-mind. The association
was to hold a joint phone call on Tuesday with the Florida Surgeon General and
the secretary for the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration to advise
nursing care facilities on best practices in case of a pandemic.
The association has recommended hygiene measures like cleaning surfaces with
Environmental Protection Agency-registered hospital grade disinfectant daily
and re-educating health care staff about best hygiene practices. It also
advises facilities to use surveillance programs to identify outbreaks and their
causes and to restrict visits by the sick.
“There is no directive that says you can’t allow visitors, but we are
encouraging centers to use common sense, and visitors to use common sense,”
said Florida Healthcare Association spokeswoman Kristen Knapp. “If you are
sick, don’t visit the building. If health care professionals are sick, stay
home." She said nursing care staff can work with residents to contact loved
ones through phone and video calls.
The protocols are similar to what nursing care facilities routinely do to
prepare for flu season, Knapp said, though there is more uncertainty because of
how easily coronavirus spreads and the higher fatality rate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state agencies have not
released any guidance directed particularly to senior citizens, though the
World Health Organization recommends people over 60 avoid crowded areas.
Otherwise, they should do what everyone else does — wash hands frequently,
sanitize spaces, get a flu shot, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and
contact the health department if they experience respiratory symptoms.
Bruns hopes state and local agencies will check that proper training is
implemented at long-term residential facilities like nursing homes.
“We want in an abundance of caution to make sure these issues are being closely
watched," he said.
The Florida Department of Health has launched a call center for coronavirus
surveillance. If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms or has
questions related to the illness, known technically as COVID-19, call (866)
779-6121 or email: covid...@flhealth.gov. The center is available from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/03/03/floridas-seniors-most-at-risk-if-coronavirus-spreads/
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