Time.news – Nelle Italian RSAs are starting to see the first effects of anti Covid-19 vaccinations, with a decrease in both the incidence of the disease among residents and operators, both in the number of isolated residents, and, even if to an even lesser extent, in deaths. This is demonstrated by the second edition of the surveillance report on the structures produced by the ISS in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the National Guarantor of the rights of persons deprived of personal liberty and ARS Toscana.
833 residential nursing homes participated in the surveillance, for a total of 30,617 beds available from 5 October 2020 to 14 March 2021. Of these, 345 were residential facilities for the non self-sufficient elderly, for a total of 15,398 beds. The weekly incidence in residential facilities increased markedly in October and November, corresponding to the second epidemic wave, and in November 2020 it reached a peak of 3.2% in residential facilities for the elderly and 3.1% in all residential structures, in line with what was observed in the general population.
The incidence decreases after the start of the vaccination campaign: in the last week of February and in the first weeks of March, values that are comparable to or lower than those recorded in the first week of October are reached (0.6% in residential facilities for the elderly and 0.5% in all residential facilities in the week from 8 March to 14 March 2021). This data is in contrast with the trend of the epidemic in the general population which showed a resurgence in the last weeks of February and early March.
It has had a similar trend the incidence of Covid-19 cases among healthcare workers in residential facilities, with a decline in the number of new cases after the start of the vaccination campaign and most evident in the last weeks of February and early March 2021. It should be remembered that health workers, as well as residents of health facilities had priority access to vaccination. There was also a notable reduction in the percentage of residents managed weekly with isolation procedures after the start of the vaccination campaign.
In the last week of monitoring (March 8 to March 14 2021), 6.5% of residents in residential aged care facilities and 5.8% of residents in all residential facilities were managed with isolation procedures, against the peak of 16.2% and 15.3% observed in November 2020 (week from 23 to 29 November 2020).
This reduction was particularly evident when only isolation procedures for suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19 were analyzed (2.4% of residents in residential aged care facilities and 1.8% of residents in all residential facilities in the week from 8 March to 14 March, against a peak of 10.6% and 9.6% observed in November 2020).
Deaths appear to increase in October 2020, reaching a peak in the week of November 9 to 15, with approximately 1.3% of residents of non self-sufficient elderly care facilities and 0.9% for all facilities. An equivalent peak is recorded in the first week of January. A decline in the number of overall deaths is observed between the end of January and March 2021, reaching 0.6% of residents of non self-sufficient elderly care facilities and 0.4% for all facilities in the week 15 to February 21, 2021.
In the last week of monitoring, from 8 to 14 March, the death rate was 0.8% of residents of retirement facilitiesnon self-sufficient people and 0.5% for all structures.
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