The Minnesota Department of Health Monday reports 2,567 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus and 160 deaths. The focus continues to be on congregate living spaces to ensure a case doesn’t become a crisis.
Of those 160 deaths, 70 percent, or 113, were associated with long term care.
Since March 4, Minnesota health officials have had weekly phone calls with facilities. The most recent one drew 1,500 participants.
State infectious disease director Kris Ehresmann says the idea of further restricting care facilities while loosening restrictions outside is not viable.
“A number of individuals who absolutely must be going into these facilities because they provide care, because they’re providing meals, any number of services, so that becomes the challenge,” she said. “We cannot absolutely lock them down.”
Health commissioner Jan Malcolm says long term care residents make up a much smaller percentage of those hospitalized and in the ICU. The small percentage of the public infected is another complication.
“The potential for it to spread quickly and widely and have some very negative consequences in the broader population is still there,” Malcolm said. “As much as we are rightly focused on long term care, this is still a broad, population-wide risk.”
All facilities have restricted visitors and cancelled activities.
When one reports a case in a patient or staff member, contact tracing investigating begins to identify those who could have been exposed. Facility administration and MDH surveillance workgroups discuss action for infection prevention.
Facilities are provided a “nurse case manager” to connect to state resources. State infection control specialists can take a virtual tour of the facility.
Some facilities without cases are equipped to take transfer residents. Other times a crisis response team can arrive on site if a facility of overwhelmed or lacking staffing.
MDH says families have to balance their concerns of the virus with type of care their loved one needs when making the decision to possibly leave a facility.