Health and communities are looking to stop outbreaks in nursing homes.
Its technicians have agreed on a document with recommendations for the autonomies to take measures, especially for better control of workers in these centers who remain unvaccinated.
They advise these employees to carry out two diagnostic tests a week and even assess the possibility of changing their job so that they do not have close contact with vulnerable people, as EL PAÍS advanced.
These recommendations, which Minister Carolina Darias has presented to the communities this Wednesday at the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, are included in the document on
Adaptation of measures in nursing homes and other residential social service centers in a context of high community transmission
.
It is a text of the alert presentation of this organization, which brings together technicians from the ministry and the communities. It is the same group that wrote the advice of the traffic light of restrictions. As in this case, each community can adapt these recommendations to its reality, or not apply them if they do not consider them necessary.
In fact, in recent weeks the autonomies have already been tightening the measures in residences and there are regions, such as Aragón or La Rioja, where diagnostic tests on unvaccinated workers are carried out more frequently than recommended by the experts of the presentation alerts: every 72 hours.
In Aragon, unvaccinated employees even have to bear the cost of testing.
There are also communities, such as Andalusia, where the tests are weekly.
"Vaccination should be actively promoted among workers, identifying the causes that reduce access or acceptance of it and developing strategies to maximize coverage in this group," reads the report of the alert presentation.
Health sources acknowledge the concern about cases in residences, many of them caused by workers, although it is unknown how many by employees without vaccinating. The ministry does not value, today, any coercive measure, or the obligation to inoculate these employees. At least five autonomous communities have been favorable and requested by the four major employers in the sector and professional associations, such as the Association of Directors and Managers of Social Services. But the department that Darias heads is in favor of tightening controls and persuading that everyone who works in a center with vulnerable people has the complete guideline.
Technicians also see it necessary to ensure that all staff have specific and updated information and training on prevention and control measures in the centers, among the new hires in the residences, before their incorporation to the job. “Vaccination will be actively recommended for new staff, since a new worker should not be incorporated into a residential center until they have started their vaccination schedule, unless it is strictly necessary. If this is the case, their vaccination will be scheduled as soon as possible and precautionary measures will be taken until the vaccination schedule is completed ”, the text continues.
In any case, it calls for the strengthening of transmission prevention and control measures, "in particular the use of appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE), throughout the working day."
"Vaccination should be actively promoted among workers, identifying the causes that reduce access or acceptance of it and developing strategies to maximize coverage in this group," says the presentation.
Regarding the visits, in contexts of high transmission of the virus such as the one we live now, the technicians recommend that those who go to see the residents maintain non-pharmacological measures, such as the mask and distance.
When there are few infections in the community, if visitors are vaccinated "it could be valued to make these measures more flexible."
Now it will be the autonomous communities that act and give concrete guidelines on how to act in the residences.
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