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[Biowatch]

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Why do nursing home Corona pts die at much higher rates than elderly corona pts living outside nursing homes?

It is possible that elderly patients who die at home are much less likely to be tested for covid-19.

Without a test, they say it wasn't related to Covid-19, so it's an undercount.

As stated, elderly patients in nursing homes are probably sicker than those who live at home.

In addition, nursing homes are relatively crowded places, which typically have two patients per room, and sometimes more, so if one gets sick, odds are they all get exposed.

The elderly patients who are sufficiently mobile eat meals in a cafeteria area shared by everyone, including caregivers. Typically it is far too small a space for a six foot distance between people.

If one or several caregivers has Covid-19, especially if they are asymptomatic yet still infectious, they can go from room to room to room, delivering medicines or personal care to each and every resident, putting each at high risk of multiple exposures to the virus.

Elderly people living at home are only exposed to their immediate family, who presumably try to avoid exposing their relative to any virus, let alone multiple exposures.

Pure speculation on my part, but restricting an elderly person's contact to a few people, even if one of them has Covid-19, would reduce the degree of their exposure.

In a family setting, an elderly person might get immediate and continuous care.

In contrast, in a nursing home facing a Covid-19 outbreak, several caretakers call out sick, which leaves the burden of care to a reduced staff who probably can't handle a significant number of patients in need of advanced care.