While COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes in Virginia continue to be a leading cause of coronavirus deaths in the state, the average size and mortality rate of the outbreaks has significantly decreased in the months since the pandemic began.
Back in March and April the average number of cases per outbreak at long-term care facilities, like nursing homes and assisted living homes, was 47. By September that number had shrunk to 11. That’s according to numbers provided by the Virginia Department of Health.
“We’ve seen a notable decrease in the average number of cases per outbreak, similarly for the average number of deaths per outbreak,” said the Virginia Department of Health’s Laurie Forlano in an interview this week.
From March to September the average number of deaths per outbreak has also decreased -- from nine to one.
Officials with the Department of Health say an increase in testing is likely a significant factor. More widespread and frequent testing allows facilities to identify cases earlier and prevent large-scale spread within a facility. Since late summer nursing homes have been following new federal guidelines that require regular staff testing regardless of symptoms or exposure.
“Staff are the ones living in the community and coming in and out of the facility,” explained Sarah Lineberger with VDH.
Depending on the test positivity rate of the county or city, a facility must test its staff every month, week, or even twice a week. Amy Hewett with the Virginia Health Care Association says nursing homes have been able to keep up with those regulations because they’re working with multiple labs to ensure they can get test results quickly.
“Our long term care facilities are still being very cautious, nothing about the virus has changed,” Hewett said. “We know more about it...we understand more about the asymptomatic spread, we have better access to testing and the PPE we need...so facilities are just proceeding very cautiously.”
In addition to more regular testing of staff and residents, state regulators have also inspected hundreds of nursing homes statewide to make sure infection control procedures are up to par. Forlano cited “continued vigilance on proper infection prevention” as another factor in the decline.
Although the outbreaks are smaller and less deadly now than they were back in the Spring, COVID-19 is still spreading in nursing homes around the state. As of this week there were more than 80 current outbreaks, including one in Smyth County, in southwest Virginia, where 16 residents have died.
The Roanoke area is dealing with a surge of outbreaks at long term care facilities. In a call with reporters Tuesday, health officials reported a dozen active outbreaks in the Roanoke City-Alleghany Health District. District director Dr. Cynthia Morrow signaled a possible increase in COVID-19 related deaths as those outbreaks play out. Sixty residents of the district have died from complications related to COVID-19 so far during the pandemic. Morrow’s colleague, Dr. Molly O’Dell, told reporters very few, if any, long term care facilities in the district have been able to avoid an outbreak.
Officials with the Department of Health and the VHCA confirmed that outbreaks at nursing facilities often follow escalating spread in the surrounding community. Earlier this summer when cases were spiking in eastern Virginia there were associated outbreaks in that part of the state. The same goes now for southwest Virginia, where some localities have percent positivity rates as high as 15-percent.
“That is what we’re observing, without a doubt,” said Forlano.
And as flu season rolls around, state officials are working with nursing homes and long term care facilities to make sure flu vaccines are available to residents and staff. They’re urging family members who may be visiting a facility to also get a vaccine.
“We are concerned about the potential for concurrent outbreaks to happen... we hope that that doesn’t become the case but we’re preparing for that,” said Lineberger.
