This week, it was reported that “hundreds of Texas nursing homes violated standards for controlling infectious diseases since the start of COVID-19 pandemic.” 27% of Texas COVID-19 deaths were in long-term care facilities. The failure of facilities meeting infection control standards has disheartened many families who trusted nursing homes and assisted living facilities to take care of their loved ones and follow the protocol from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Many facilities received multiple violations; one facility topped the list with eight. Several family members noted the failure to follow standards and expressed concern in the spring. Infection control standards consist of mask-wearing, screening before entering, separate intake units, isolation barriers with infections, and frequent handwashing, among others. The connection between these frequent violations and the fast spread of the virus among nursing home residents and employees is concerning to family members and elder advocates, like the AARP.
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