Emilia vexler
10/17/2020 15:10
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 10/17/2020 3:10 PM
In the framework of the coronavirus pandemic, the City created a new health protocol to allow visits to residences for the elderly.
Although it has been in force since last Monday, each establishment may begin to apply it according to its particular situation and once it has the authorization issued by the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health.
Some institutions have already been authorized and this Sunday they will allow visits for Mother's Day.
Sources from the Buenos Aires government confirmed to
Clarín
that until this Saturday they received 135 requests, of which 98 were accepted, while 16 require adjusting some measure (they are in process) and some will even be visited at this time to analyze if they fit into the protocol .
"The protocol does not mean they are enabled visits because each institution has to adapt to it. We as health authority must monitor that meets all and grant permission ,
" he told
Clarin
Paula Zingoni, Director General of Planning Operational and who For 8 months, it has been working with residences for the elderly and families of residents to adapt visits in a pandemic.
"All this seems quite complex but it is agile, because it has been working with the institutions," he says.
Nursing homes and residences for the elderly, which are
a total of 483 in the City
, were the focus of health policies since the beginning of the local pandemic, when massive infections were detected and, later, the methodology of rapid, preventive tests was determined and systematic to all the personnel of these establishments and general transfers in the presence of positive cases.
The objective of the document is to reestablish the links between people who reside in nursing homes and their families or loved ones.
The protocol, step by step
In order to start applying a visiting regime, institutions must accredit 14 days without any confirmed case of COVID-19.
If they meet this requirement, the first step is to prepare the place according to the guidelines established in the protocol and request permission from the Executing Unit for the Registration and Regulation of Geriatric Establishments, dependent on the Ministry of Health of the City.
The second requirement is that they must guarantee that visits are in "adapted, open or closed spaces with good ventilation, according to the building possibilities of each residence."
As it appears in the rest of the coronavirus protocols that the City has enabled, such as that of domestic service, it is specified that "biosafety measures must be
followed
at all times
-use of face masks and alcohol gel-
distancing and the correct use of personal protection elements indicated for each case ".
In all cases, visits will be scheduled in advance, will have a maximum duration of 30 minutes and may not be more than one person per resident per shift.
They should be spaced for a period of half an hour to disinfect the space.
Prior to the arrival of the relatives,
the fever will be taken and they must fill out a form as an affidavit
in which they establish that they are suitable to carry out the monitoring, that they do not present symptoms compatible with coronavirus and that they did not have "close contact "with a recently confirmed case.
In addition, you will be provided with elements of hand hygiene and personal protection.
If a new suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 is detected, the nursing home authorities must report it immediately, implement health protocols and suspend all visits until the situation is regularized and it is safe to resume them.
At the same time, it is an "accompanied" protocol.
Representatives of the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health will make a visit to the place to supervise that it complies with current regulations.
In the event of a favorable evaluation, a written authorization will be granted.
If, on the contrary, non-compliances are found, a counseling will be carried out (a kind of act) so that they can adapt the space and start the process again.
Likewise, the importance of supporting
communications via telephone and video calls as
complementary
alternatives
to face-to-face visits
is highlighted
.
Within this framework, the Ministry of Health developed special protocols for action, prevention, and management of suspected coronavirus cases for these institutions.
In accordance with the provisions of current protocols, when a confirmed case of coronavirus is found, it is referred according to its medical coverage and particular care needs.
Next, the PCR is carried out on all residents and workers of the institution in a preventive manner, with the aim of detecting cases early, providing them with the medical attention they need, and protecting them, to minimize the risks of contagion.
Then, we act on the results with three possible paths:
● Asymptomatic positives: the elderly can remain housed in the residence as long as they do not present any symptoms compatible with the virus, the medical criteria indicate it, the institution meets the necessary requirements (sufficient structural conditions, adequate clinical control and urgent referral process ) and the family gives their consent by means of an affidavit.
If he presents symptoms, he must be transferred.
● Symptomatic positives: the patient is referred to a hospital according to their medical coverage and particular care needs to receive the necessary care. ● Negative: they can remain in the institution.
To date,
19,626 PCR tests have been performed in nursing homes
, with 4,932 confirmed cases, of which 78% (3,850) recovered and
766 people died.
Testing of nursing home staff
The Ministry of Health carries out rapid, preventive and systematic tests that reach an estimated 10 thousand people who work in nursing homes in Buenos Aires.
To date, 74,794 tests have been carried out and 2,422 (3.2%) positives were obtained that were swabbed.
As a result, 1,524 people with COVID-19 were confirmed who were transferred according to their medical coverage and specific care needs.
The plan contemplated a strategic advance throughout the establishments that have an occupancy rate of 80%, in a total of 25 thousand places.
The City is in charge of providing the rapid tests and the nursing homes themselves execute them.
For this, the Ministry of Health has a team of 25 biochemists assigned to around 20 establishments each, to which they are monitored daily.
In the first instance, the personnel selected by the authorities completed a mandatory virtual training and then received on-site training by the biochemist.
The results are reported daily through a form that the responsible biochemist submits to the Ministry of Health.
In case of obtaining a positive result, the person must be transferred to the nearest UFU where they will be swabbed.
If it is a confirmed case of coronavirus, it will be referred.
If, on the contrary, it is negative, you will be able to return home and resume your tasks at the nursing home.
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