COVID-19 pandemic in Russia's care homes

The first officially confirmed case of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Russian nursing homes for the elderly and disabled was registered in the nursing home for the elderly and disabled, located the town of Vyazma, on April 11, 2020.[1][2]

Deputy Minister of Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Olga Batalina reported on April 23, 2020 that 450 Russians living in nursing homes were infected with the COVID-19, and diseases were registered in seven regions of Russia. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation called in April 2020 to close all care homes in full quarantine.[3] At the beginning of May 2020, Elizaveta Oleskina, an employee of the Charity Fund "Starost v Radost" (Old Age in Joy), reported that there were cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes for elderly people in 20 Russian regions.[2]

The number of elderly or disabled people living in Russian nursing homes is estimated about 280.000.[2]

Infection pathways

The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Russia Olga Batalina named two main ways for infection to enter care homes: with infected personnel, and with care home residents who were treated in hospitals.[3]

Prevention

Disease prevention can be through full quarantine of a boarding home. For example, in April 2020, in the Bryansk region, all 20 care homes were quarantined after cases of coronavirus were reported in the care home for the elderly and disabled in the town of Selzo.[3][4]

Russian charity "Starost v Radost" fund's Elizaveta Oleskina said that care homes in order to prevent infection may impose two-week quarantine for personnel to stay inside, as well as regular testing of infection. The nursing homes may organize "dirty" and "clean" zones, divided by filter lock. The Russian charity fund's Elizaveta Oleskina said that there was lack of personnel, nurses and medical doctors in Russian care homes for the elderly, so it needed to organize good employment for care homes. Elizaveta Oleskina said that the Russian social health service workers had little payment and there was lack of them, and that worsened the health situation of the elderly. Elizaveta Oleskina said that oxygen devices are necessary in nursing homes because when hospitals have a shortage of beds, the elderly might stay for treatment in their nursing homes.[2]

Russian care homes' entrepreneur, Alexey Sidnev (Senior Groupp, ru. Сениор Групп), said that Personal protective equipment (PPE) are necessary for care homes' personnel.[2]

Fear to be sacked among personnel

Russia's statistics of those who have died from COVID-19 are reported as the lowest in Europe.[5] However, staff in the nursing home "Vishenki", located in the city of Smolensk, said on May 28, 2020 that at least eight residents had died since May 3, but that they were not counted as COVID-19 related, neither autopsy nor virus testing were carried out and their deaths were registered due to other causes. The personnel also wanted to remain anonymous when they were interviewed by BBC because they were afraid of publicity that would cause them to be fired.[5]

Cases of COVID-19 in care homes by region
The Novoslobodsky care home in the village of Novoslobodsk, Kaluga Region, which residents got the coronavirus infection COVID-19 in the spring of 2020

Altai Krai

5 among personnel and 1 resident were found with the coronavirus in the Rubtsovsky care home for the elderly and disabled, located in the town of Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai, as reported on May 27, 2020. After that to all of the care home personnel and residents were offered testing for the COVID-19. The care home was on self-isolation since April 27, 2020.[6]


Astrakhan region

On May 31, 2020, in the city of Astrakhan's care home for the elderly and disabled, was reported that 234 persons were infected, many among them were hospitalized, 2 had treatment in intensive care unit, 1 was on ventilator, 3 died, after that the Astrakhan region's public prosecutor's office launched the investigation of the outbreak of the infection in the care home.[7]

Bryansk region

COVID-19 was found in the nursing home for elderly in the town of Selzo, yet no numbers of infected were called on April 21, 2020.[8]

Kaluga region

Cases of the disease were registered in the Novoslobodsky nursing home for the elderly and disabled in the Duminichi district of the Kaluga region in April 2020.[9]

Oryol region

COVID-19 was first detected in the care home for veterans in the village of Krupyshino (Крупышино), located in the Dmitrovsky District, Oryol Oblast, on May 23, 2020, where, later, on May 25, 2020, were 24 infected registered, including 3 of personnel.

21 of residents infected were hospitalized in a medical institution of the city of Oryol, while 3 members of staff infected were asymptomatic.

Investigative Committee of Russia told there was negligence regarding sanitation and epidemiology rules during a special regime of the pandemic, that is why the residents and staff were infected.[10][11]

Smolensk region
  • In the gerontological center "Vishenki" (Cherry), located in the city of Smolensk, in which 460 people lived on that time, 84 cases of infection were registered in May 2020[12][13].
  • In the Yartsevo nursing home for the elderly and disabled, located in the town of Yartsevo, 22 employees, 94 residents and 4 volunteers registered with the disease in May 2020.[14]
  • In the Vyazemsky nursing home for the elderly and disabled, located in the town of Vyazma, where in total (as of April 2020) were 196 residents, cases of coronavirus were found in April 2020, and 67 patients were hospitalized.[15][1]

See also

References
  1. "Об учреждении" [About the care home]. Вяземский дом-интернат для престарелых и инвалидов (in Russian). Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  2. Алленова, Ольга (May 10, 2020). "В бой с COVID идут старики". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  3. "Минтруд назвал число больных COVID-19 в интернатах и домах престарелых". Известия (in Russian). April 23, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  4. "Государственное бюджетное стационарное учреждение социального обслуживания населения Брянской области "Дом-интернат малой вместимости для пожилых людей и инвалидов г. Сельцо"". «ГБСУСОН "Дом-интернат малой вместимости для пожилых людей и инвалидов г. Сельцо» (in Russian). Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  5. Rainsford, Sarah (May 28, 2020). "Coronavirus: Nightmare spreads through Russia's care homes". BBC. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  6. "На Алтае в интернате для престарелых выявили шесть случаев коронавируса". РИА Новости (in Russian). May 27, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. "Число зараженных коронавирусом в доме-интернате в Астрахани выросло до 234". TASS (in Russian). May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  8. "Все брянские соцучреждения закроют на карантин из-за вспышки COVID-19". Риа Новости (in Russian). April 21, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  9. "В калужском доме престарелых зафиксирована вспышка коронавируса". Interfax (in Russian). April 29, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  10. "СК возбудил уголовное дело из‑за вспышки коронавируса в доме ветеранов в Орловской области". zona.media (in Russian). May 26, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  11. "В орловском Доме ветеранов у 24 человек обнаружен COVID-19". oryol.times.ru (in Russian). May 26, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  12. "Более 80 человек заразились коронавирусом в геронтологическом центре в Смоленской области". Интерфакс-Россия (in Russian). May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  13. "История развития центра". Геронтологический центр «Вишенки» (in Russian). Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  14. "В доме престарелых в Смоленской области 120 человек заразились коронавирусом". Интерфакс-Россия (in Russian). May 12, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  15. "Ситуация с коронавирусом в Вяземском доме престарелых стабилизировалась - директор". Интерфакс-Россия (in Russian). April 23, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
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