Call for surge in testing care home staff as Covid outbreaks jump to 120

In early August the number of outbreaks in care homes had dropped to only eight, but Department of Health figures now show this has climbed to 120 confirmed outbreaks - one or more positive tests among staff or residents - and a further 12 suspected outbreaks.

According to the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), in the week ending October 23, six Covid related deaths occurred in an NI care home.

NISRA says that almost half (46.1%) of all Covid-related deaths in NI so far have been among care home residents; there have been 451 deaths in total across 482 facilities - almost one death for every care home. Of the 452 deaths, 80.5% (363) occurred in a care home, with the remaining 88 occurring in hospital. The Commissioner for Older People for NI, Eddie Lynch told the News Letter the situation is causing significant concern.

“The growing number of Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes is very worrying for residents and their families,” he told the News Letter. “However, given the major increase in community transmission of the virus it unfortunately is not surprising that the risk of this happening will also increase.

“A rolling programme of testing for staff and residents was introduced in the summer to try to identify any positive cases as soon as possible. Care home staff are getting tested every two weeks but given the increased levels of the virus this should be increased to weekly to catch any cases earlier. The Health Minister committed to keeping the frequency of testing under review and now is the time to increase it so we can better protect older people living in care home settings.”

The Department of Health said that if the general public push down infection rates this will protect care home residents.

“This pandemic threatens the oldest and most vulnerable members of our society and protecting them must be at the heart of everything we do,” a spokeswoman said.

“Every one of us in Northern Ireland has a role to play in helping to keep care home residents safe. If we can successfully push down Covid infection rates in the community, this will reduce the risk of infections spreading into homes.

“The Health and Social Care system’s regional care home surge plan has been updated in light of findings of the Rapid Learning Initiative on care homes in the pandemic.”

NISRA says 78.5% of Covid related deaths have been among people aged 75 and over.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor