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A coronavirus outbreak has been registered in a nursing home located in Mexico’s Coahuila state. The state Health Ministry has reported two deaths and 15 infections; 10 of them are elderly people and 5 are staff members. The ministry has already implemented the corresponding health protocols.
The ministry said it will keep permanent monitoring of the “Las Viñas” Nursing Home, located at the La Hibernia neighborhood in Saltillo, where the outbreak was detected after two women – 80 and 87 years old correspondingly – passed away.
There are 95 people at that nursing home, between the residents and the staff members, as added by the Health Ministry in a press release.
It added that through the Health Jurisdiction No. 8, they have installed filters for staff members and notified the corresponding observations for these cases.
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It mentioned that the health measures implemented to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 and the required protocols comply with the Health Law.
It asserted that several actions were implemented as soon as the ministry was notified of the situation.
Since that moment, it said, it made an analysis of the tests performed to all the people at the nursing home and it established an epidemiological hedge and worked on a list to trace contacts.
“The 80 residents were isolated and are under strict medical observation,” said the ministry.
“The Coahuila Health Ministry’s Area for Health Regulation and Promotion is channeling the measures implemented by authorities at the place,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Legal Department has launched an investigation on the situation to determine if there was any irresponsibility from staff members working at the nursing home.
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Other COVID-19 outbreaks at Mexico’s nursing homes
In June, a coronavirus outbreak was registered at a nursing home in Mexicali, Baja California. 16 elderly people who live there and seven workers who take care of them contracted the diseases.
It was only after the relatives of one of the residents of the nursing home obtained an amparo to demand preventive protocols and immediate care due to the health emergency that the owners of the place decided to run tests at a private hospital.
The Baja California Third District Judge granted a suspension so that said preventive protocols were implemented and thus the resident could receive medical care.
Moreover, it urged state authorities to test her for COVID-19 .
Complying to the measures ordered by the judge, the State Health Ministry visited the nursing home on May 29 to evaluate the health conditions of those inside and detected two COVID-19 suspected cases and asserted it would return to monitor the situation on June 2.
Nevertheless, the private hospital that ran the tests confirmed 23 infections, reason why the nursing home remains closed since June 1, and the residents were sent to their homes or any other place where they can stay, without any protocols to prevent further infections nor monitoring.
In addition to this, local authorities said they lacked the power to establish protocols or measures to prevent infections at the nursing home.
Another case was registered in Tabasco, where despite the implementation of special measures such as the halting of visits, several residents and staff members of a nursing home contracted COVID-19. The nursing home, under the DIF, is inhabited by 68 elders.
Meanwhile, Nuevo León registered COVID-19 outbreaks at three nursing homes although the government had banned visits to nursing homes in a bid to halt the spread of the new disease that has infected almost 12 million people worldwide.
The local government decided to temporarily close one of the nursing homes and to hospitalize all residents because they are a very vulnerable group whose health can deteriorate in a matter of hours turning into a critical situation that could end in death.
Moreover, authorities have closed five clandestine nursing homes in Guadalupe, San Nicolás de los Garza, and Monterrey since they did not have the necessary permits and conditions to care for the elderly.
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