Nursing homes keep COVID-19 spread low despite record-breaking cases across SC
As COVID-19 case numbers skyrocket across the country, South Carolina’s nursing homes have seen a slower growth in COVID-19 cases since the start of November.
During the summer, coronavirus cases in nursing homes or extended care facilities grew each week anywhere from about 8% to 17%. In recent weeks, however, nursing home cases have grown between about 1% and 3%.
In all, Department of Health and Environmental Control officials have recorded more than 13,200 cases among nursing home residents and staff, and more than 1,600 deaths.
Still, 181 of the state’s 685 facilities, or roughly one-fifth, were experiencing “active spread,” or at least one case over a two-week period, as of Dec. 18.
When a facility is experiencing an active outbreak, it can decline to admit new residents until the outbreak is under control, according to CDC guidance.
Facilities are still seeing routine testing, either twice a week, once a week or once a month depending on the percent of positive tests in the nursing home’s county, according to DHEC. If a positive case is identified in a facility, all residents and staff are tested every three to seven days until the facility can go 14 days without a new positive test.
As the virus continues to spread, nursing homes are having to weigh whether to allow visitation, which Gov. Henry McMaster began allowing again in September. As of Dec. 15, 250 facilities across the state were not allowing visitation, including seven in Lexington County and 12 in Richland County, according to DHEC.
To slow the spread of the virus within extended care facilities, DHEC advises that centers screen all people who enter the building for COVID-19 symptoms, promote mask wearing and social distancing, and frequently cleaning surfaces and visitation areas after each visit. Health officials also advise requiring staff to wear appropriate personal protective equipment and creating a separate area dedicated to COVID-19 care.
Facilities are allowed to restrict visitation if they have had a case in the last 14 days, according to DHEC guidance. Otherwise, facilities cannot stop visitation unless they meet certain criteria set out by DHEC.
Having to close down visitation because of COVID-19, especially this close to the winter holidays is “awful,” said Beckie Cunningham, the director of Harmony Collection at Columbia. The facility didn’t allow visitors for several days because a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, and reopened for visitation earlier this month, Cunningham said.
“There’s no way to describe how awful this is,” Cunningham said.
Though visitation will continue at their facility, families won’t be allowed to hug or touch their loved ones, Cunningham said. Families can do outdoor visits, monitored indoor visits, window visits or Facetime visits at the facility.
“We’re doing everything possible,” Cunningham said.
“Remember, what these employees are doing on the inside is to take care and keep their loved ones safe,” she added.
Casey Reese, a spokesperson for NHC HealthCare, which has more than a dozen facilities across South Carolina, said outbreaks of COVID-19 in facilities “seem to be the norm, a little bit.” As community spread increased outside of facilities, employees anticipated getting positive cases.
“In the beginning, you kind of braced yourself for the storm and now COVID kind of feels like a wave that keeps crashing on the beach,” Reese said.
With positive cases comes the need to close down visitation, which is hard on families and staff alike, Reese said. The facilities have embraced doing video call visits and some window visits, she added.
“It’s been really hard on our patients and it’s been really hard on our staff because they’ve become the patients’ families and have done a really awesome job making sure their patients are connected with their families,” Reese said.
Even if there aren’t cases inside of the facility, whether or not they can hold visitation at NHC’s facilities depends largely on the rate of community spread. If cases are too high, they do not allow visitors.
“If people would use precautions, wear a mask and practice social distancing and help flatten the curve, then visits could actually happen.”
Reporter Zak Koeske contributed to this report.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 2:22 PM.
