‘No critically-ill patients’ at nursing home turned isolation facility

Despite two deaths, health authorities are managing the COVID-19 outbreak at the nursing home which has been transformed into an isolation facility.

The assurance has come from Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George who today revealed that none of the patients at the nursing home was critically ill.

Just over a week ago, Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic disclosed that the nursing home located in the eastern part of the island had recorded 37 positive COVID-19 tests, 31 patients and six staff members.

He said due to the seriousness of the situation, a decision had been made to turn the nursing home into an isolation facility.

In giving an update on the development, Dr George told Barbados TODAY medical staff from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was closely monitoring the infected persons.

“There were several cases, both staff and patients. We thought it most prudent for the management of the nursing home to be under the care of persons who can really treat people who are in isolation so that’s what we did because we did not have the capacity. They were 33 people in the nursing home and we didn’t have the capacity to shift all of those staff and clients to another place or a Government facility,” Dr George explained.

“We tried our best, the QEH has nursing teams and we have medical presence there also on a 24-hour basis and we hope that this situation will also get under control similar to the prison and similar to other nursing homes.

“My tally is about 34 [who are positive]. I can’t give you the breakdown of staff and clients but it is mainly clients. We’ve taken over the home on a short-term basis until the problems are settled down,” he added.

Dr George disclosed that two elderly patients from the nursing home died from COVID-19.

However, he said the fact all of the patients were asymptomatic was a positive sign.

“The good thing about it is that the patients are to be retested soon. The patients who are being managed in the home are asymptomatic so we don’t have any ill, ill patients. We lost two persons from that home and so far the remaining patients remain asymptomatic and we hope that that situation will continue,” Dr George said.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)