The Minnesota Department of Health Friday reported 5,371 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 61 deaths -- 36 of which were connected to long-term care.
Nine months in, how is that setting doing during the pandemic?
Just over a week ago, at a long term care facility in rural Blackduck, Minnesota in Beltrami County, about half of the employees tested positive for COVID-19. Twenty-four out of 27 residents also tested positive.
“Within hours we had five nurses that were responding on-site through the coordination of local and state officials,” Nate Schema, the Vice President of Operations at the Good Samaritan Society, which operates 50 locations statewide for assisted living and nursing homes, said. “Today I’m here to tell you we have 12 nurses from all over the state to service our residents.”
Schema says now about 200 residents and workers are positive.
“For us to continue to open our doors to visitation and expand that ability to more family members we need that (case) positivity rate to keep coming down,” he said.
In April, residents of long-term care facilities made up nearly 90 percent of COVID-19 related deaths. That number went down to below 60 percent in August, but it’s starting to climb again. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said from September through the end of October, new cases in the overall population rose 73 percent compared to 15 percent for long term care, but from the start of October to the end of November, new cases increased in both populations by 400 percent.
MDH is working with 57 facilities in staffing crisis due to positive tests and quarantine keeping workers from the job.
The continued stress on the facilities has forced national guardsmen to step in. They newly-trained temporary nurse aids have assisted 17 facilities so far to help fill staffing gaps.
“We currently have 270 guardsmen assigned to 11 teams trained and conducting this role in communities throughout the state with an additional 100 coming into the training pipeline,” Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard Major General Shawn Manke said. “I know I’m safe in saying not one of our soldiers or airmen envisioned themselves performing care in a long term care facility when they voluntarily rose their hand and joined the Minnesota National Guard.”
Manke said he had “concerns” about the soldiers and airmen initially taking on the role, including about retention, but he reports they’re doing fine and following orders.
Facilities have had to balance visits with combating loneliness and isolation while trying to keep residents safe. Schema with Good Samaritan Society says staff have been involved in celebrations of birthdays, births of grandchildren and helping 90-year-olds have their first FaceTime call.
Malcolm said vigilance to safety guidance is what will help avoid community spread...
“All community members, everybody in those communities is at higher risk of getting COVID,” she said. “And especially that translates into the higher risk for staff working on long term care and bringing it into the facilities and putting the residents and other staff at risk.”
Meanwhile, Governor Walz says a vaccine working group met today as it develops a framework to administer the first round of doses likely before Christmas. MDH says it will follow CDC recommendations to start with healthcare workers and long term care residents.
Walz said discussions among legislative leaders today centered on the vaccine rollout, but said “we’re getting close” to an agreement on covid relief.
