Long-term care facilities have been hit particularly hard by novel coronavirus, and the Bay Area’s facilities are no exception.
To help give a better understand of how the virus has impacted these communities, Santa Clara County launched a dashboard specifically for these facilities. It covers skilled nursing, assisted and independent living, and board and care facilities in the county.
As of Thursday, the dashboard showed 300 cases in long-term care facilities, with 40 hospitalizations and 15 deaths.
“We are paying special attention to long-term care facilities because their clients are at higher risk for more severe disease from COVID-19,” said Dr. Sara Cody, the County’s Health Officer.
Last week, the county announced new guidance proposals to stop the COVID-19 spread in these settings. It included more robust testing and limiting movement of patients. The health department is also stepping up investigation and interventions at care centers. Contact tracing and testing are central to that program’s success.
“We have specialized teams dedicated to providing guidance to long-term care facilities, investigating potential cases, and providing comprehensive and intensive interventions where needed to stop the spread of COVID-19, to protect residents and patients,” Dr. Sarah Rudman, Santa Clara County’s Assistant Health Officer, said about last week’s announcement.
To see the long-term care data dashboard, click here or on the image below.
