https://doi.org/10.4081/gc.2021.9654

The impact of COVID-19 first wave on long term care facilities of an Italian Province: an historical reference

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2021)
Submitted: 1 February 2021
Accepted: 9 March 2021
Published: 24 March 2021
COVID-19, aging, mortality, Long Term Care Facilities.
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Authors

Andrea Tramarin
tramarinandrea@gmail.com
Primary Health Care, AULSS8, Vicenza, Italy.
Nicola Gennaro
Epidemiological service of the Veneto Region, Padua, Italy.
Giancarlo Dal Grande
Don Bruzzo Long Term Care Facility, Gambellara (VI), Italy.
Luciana Bragagnolo
Laboratory of Microbiology of San Bortolo Hospital, AULSS8 (VI), Italy.
Maria Rosa Carta
Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry of San Bortolo Hospital, AULSS8 (VI), Italy.
Davide Giavarina
Laboratory of Clinical Chemistry of San Bortolo Hospital, AULSS8 (VI), Italy.
Michela Pascarella
Laboratory of Microbiology of San Bortolo Hospital, AULSS8 (VI), Italy.
Mario Rassu
Laboratory of Microbiology of San Bortolo Hospital, AULSS8 (VI), Italy.
Antonio Matteazzi
Primary Health Care, AULSS8, Vicenza, Italy.
Giampaolo Stopazzolo
Primary Health Care, AULSS8, Vicenza, Italy.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will leave a profound imprint in the collective memory of humanity. In Italy, Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) have seen a disproportionally high number of deaths during and the COVID-19 pandemic and, certainly, they may be considered as its epicenter. Aiming to leave a symbolic mark of what the pandemic did in these care settings, we report on an outbreak in a single LTCF where, 53 out of 64 residents, resulted infected. Our narration is based on an epidemiological field investigation together with a calendar of passages through the stages of disease in the infected population. We found an age-gradient in all clinical and epidemiological variables explored such as symptoms onset, illness severity, recovery from symptoms and deaths. According to the disease staging, 26 (49%) were asymptomatic; 9 (17%) had a mild disease; 7 (13%) a moderate stage and 11 (21%) a severe illness severity of whom 10 died. For a more comprehensive description of the impact of the pandemic on LTCFs, we compared the standard mortality ratio (SMR) in the first six months of 2020 to that of 2018 and 2019 in all the 34 facilities of the Vicenza province. Overall, there was a SMR higher 60% than the equivalent period of the previous years.

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How to Cite

Tramarin , A., Gennaro, N., Dal Grande, G. ., Bragagnolo, L., Carta, M. R., Giavarina, D., Pascarella, M., Rassu, M., Matteazzi, A., & Stopazzolo, G. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 first wave on long term care facilities of an Italian Province: an historical reference. Geriatric Care, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/gc.2021.9654

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