COVID-19 pandemic in Russia's care homes. Public health in Russian elderly care homes during COVID-19 pandemic.
Author's note:
I had started to write the article "COVID-19 pandemic in Russia's care homes" in the Wikipedia a half year ago, but Wikipedia users had proposed a deletion for the article, because they had said 'there was no need of such article on Wikipedia' and they had proposed to shorten and merge my writing with a Global observation on the Wikipedia "Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on long-term care facilities". I was partly upset in that time that they had decided "there was no need" and then stopped the writing. But later, just in case, I decided to publish the writing here, but I must say, as I had stopped the work, the article was not updated, especially regarding the list of the actual cases by region.
Lavrinoff, V.P. (Rus. Лавринов, В.П., @poetVecheslaff on Twitter)
Abstract:
The first officially confirmed case of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Russian nursing homes for the elderly and disabled was registered in the nursing home for the elderly and disabled, located the town of Vyazma (About the Vyazma care home), on April 11, 2020 (Allenova, 2020).
Deputy Minister of Ministry of Labour and Social Protection Olga Batalina reported on April 23, 2020 that 450 Russians living in nursing homes were infected with the COVID-19, and diseases were registered in seven regions of Russia. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation called in April 2020 to close all care homes in full quarantine. At the beginning of May 2020, Elizaveta Oleskina, an employee of the Charity Fund "Starost v Radost" (Old Age in Joy), reported that there were cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes for elderly people in 20 Russian regions (Allenova, 2020).
Because Russia that time had yet no statistics about the coronavirus cases in Russian care homes, we can juxtapose the similar statistics from the United Kingdom to understand the danger of the new virus for elderly people. National Health Service of the United Kingdom in its guideline said that care home are particularly vulnerable to suffer from the COVID-19, because residents have close contact inside, carers may unintentionally spread the infection if there is lack of appropriate protection, the elderly often have other underlying diseases,—data on death from COVID-19 in care homes in Scotland, published on May 15, 2020, showed that 45% of all who died from the infection were residents of care homes (Holt and Butcher, 2020).
Office for National Statistics (United Kingdom) also estimated that personnel in care homes are twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than other health service workers (Holt and Butcher, 2020).
The number of the elderly or disabled people living in Russian nursing homes is estimated (as on 2020) about 280,000 (Allenova, 2020).
Russia has also increasing number of the private elderly care homes. The number of the elderly, living in Russian private care homes, was estimated (as on 2020) about 25,000, but no open information available about the cases of the COVID-19 in the private care homes (HRW, 2020).
Human Rights Watch declared on 2 June 2020, that Russian government must openly publish all the data about the cases of COVID-19 in the Russian care homes because there was an alarming information about silencing of the facts about the cases of the COVID-19 in the Russsia's care homes that may even increase risk of occurring of the disease outbreaks in the care homes (HRW, 2020).
Infection pathways
The Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Russia Olga Batalina named two main ways for infection to enter care homes: with infected personnel, and with care home residents who were treated in hospitals (Izvestiya, 2020).
Prevention
Disease prevention can be through full quarantine of a boarding home. For example, in April 2020, in the Bryansk region, all 20 care homes were quarantined after cases of coronavirus were reported in the care home for the elderly and disabled in the town of Seltso (Izvestiya, 2020)(About the Seltso care home).
Russian charity "Starost v Radost" fund's Elizaveta Oleskina said that care homes in order to prevent infection may impose two-week quarantine for personnel to stay inside, as well as regular testing of infection. The nursing homes may organize "dirty" and "clean" zones, divided by filter lock. The Russian charity fund's Elizaveta Oleskina said that there was lack of personnel, nurses and medical doctors in Russian care homes for the elderly, so it needed to organize good employment for care homes. Elizaveta Oleskina said that the Russian social health service workers had little payment and there was lack of them, and that worsened the health situation of the elderly. Elizaveta Oleskina said that oxygen devices are necessary in nursing homes because when hospitals have a shortage of beds, the elderly might stay for treatment in their nursing homes (Allenova, 2020).
If to juxtapose the practices to the United Kingdom, then British government said about the prevention that personal protective equipment (PPE) had to be necessary for care homes' personnel, as well as testing on COVID-19 for residents and staff (Holt and Butcher, 2020).
Fear to be sacked among personnel
Russia's statistics of those who have died from COVID-19 are reported as the lowest in Europe (Rainsford, 2020). However, staff in the nursing home "Vishenki", located in the city of Smolensk, said on May 28, 2020 that at least eight residents had died since May 3, but that they were not counted as COVID-19 related, neither autopsy nor virus testing were carried out and their deaths were registered due to other causes. The personnel also wanted to remain anonymous when they were interviewed by BBC, because they were afraid of publicity that would cause them to be fired (Rainsford, 2020).
Cases of COVID-19 in care homes by region (with the first wave in blue, second wave in red)
On the photograph: the Novoslobodsky care home in the village of Novoslobodsk, Kaluga Oblast, which residents got the coronavirus infection COVID-19 in the spring of 2020 (Wikimedia Commons)
Altai Krai
Rubtsovsky care home for the elderly and disabled, located in the town of Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai, as reported on May 27, 2020. After that to all of the care home personnel and residents were offered testing for the COVID-19. The care home was on self-isolation since April 27, 2020 (RIA Novosti, 2020a).
Astrakhan region
On May 31, 2020, in the city of Astrakhan's care home for the elderly and disabled, was reported that 234 persons were infected, many among them were hospitalized, 2 had treatment in the intensive care unit, 1 was on a ventilator, 3 died, after that the Astrakhan region's Public Prosecutor's Office launched the investigation of the outbreak of the infection in the care home (TASS, 2020a).
Bryansk Oblast
COVID-19 was found in the nursing home for elderly in the town of Seltso, yet no numbers of infected were called on April 21, 2020 (RIA Novosti, 2020b).
Crimea peninsula
As reported on December 24, 2020, the coronavirus (second wave) registered among personnel in the Sevastopol care home for the elderly and disabled (Севастопольскоий дом-интернат для престарелых и инвалидов). At that time, the care home had 175 residents (Krymova, 2020).
Kaluga Oblast
Cases of the disease were registered in the Novoslobodsky nursing home for the elderly and disabled in the Duminichsky District of the Kaluga region in April 2020 (Interfax 2020a).
Leningrad Oblast (with the City of Saint Petersburg as administrative centre)
As reported on 18 May 2020, the infection among 411 residents was registered in Saint Petersburg's care home with total capacity 1,020 (HRW, 2020).
Moscow Oblast
As the local head of Health Service of Moscow Oblast, Ms Svetlana Strigunkova, reported on 18 May 2020, the cases of the infection in Moscow Oblast were registered in 3 of the elderly care homes among 90 residents and the staff, where 5 residents were hospitalized, infected staff members monitored in their homes, while all the staff began to work fortnight duties, with testing on th COVID-19 each time before starting of the every fortnight term (RIA Novosti, 2020c).
Nizhniy Novgorod Oblast
As repoted on December 4, 2020, the coronavirus (second wave) registered among the care home personnel in the Kulebaki care home for elderly (NEWSNN.RU, 2020).
Omsk Oblast
COVID-19 cases were registered on June 20, 2020, among residents in "Nezhinskiy Gerontology Center", care home for the elderly located in the city of Omsk on the 5th Maryanovskaya street (About the Nezhinsky care home).
On June 20, 2020, COVID-19 was found among 19 residents, later, on June 25, the infection found among 26 residents. The staff and residents, about more than 500 altogether, were put under testing, but, as reported by media, there were no certain results yet on June 25, 2020 (Omskinform.ru, 2020).
Oryol Oblast
COVID-19 was first detected in the care home for veterans in the village of Krupyshino on May 23, 2020 (Kozlova, 2020) that located in the Dmitrovsky District, Oryol Oblast, where, later, on May 25, 2020, were 24 infected registered, including 3 of personnel (zona.media, 2020).
21 of residents infected were hospitalized in a medical institution of the city of Oryol (Kozlova, 2020), while 3 members of staff infected were asymptomatic (zona.media, 2020).
The Investigative Committee of Russia told there was negligence regarding sanitation and epidemiology rules during a special regime of the pandemic (Kozlova, 2020), that is why the residents and staff were infected (zona.media, 2020).
Pskov Oblast
Coronavirus infection (second wave) was registered among 11 people in the Opochesky Care Home for elderly and disabled (About the Opochetsky care home), located in the Opochetsky District, Pskov Oblast. The report came on November 27, 2020 by local government, that also said all social institutions, including care homes, were under special regime due to the pandemia (TASS, 2020b).
Sakha Republic (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia))
In May, 2020, 17 residents were infected with COVID-19 in the care home for the elderly, pension "Doveriye" (пансионат для престарелых «Доверие»), located in the city of Yakutsk, Republic of Sakha (RBC 2020).
Saratov Oblast
• Coronovirus (second wave) was registered from November 1 to November 19, 2020 in Balakov care home (RIA Novosti, 2020d), located in the town of Balakovo, Saratov Oblast (About the Balakov care home).
• There were multiple cases of coronavirus in the region registered before in the mental asylum in the village of Cherkasskoe (RIA Novosti, 2020d) of the Volsky District, in the mental asylum in the village of Ozernoe (RIA Novosti, 2020d) of the Atkarsky District, so a special pandemic regime was imposed in the region since April 29, 2020.
• In August, 2020, coronavirus was registered in the Cherkasskiy mental asylum (Kochetkov, 2020) in the village of Koloyar (RIA Novosti, 2020d) of the Volsky District.
Smolensk Oblast
• In the gerontological center "Vishenki" (translated literally as "Cherry"), located in the city of Smolensk (About the gerontology centre "Vishenky"), in which 460 people lived on that time, 84 cases of infection were registered in May 2020 (Interfax 2020b).
• In the Yartsevo care home for the elderly and disabled, located in the town of Yartsevo, 22 employees, 94 residents and 4 volunteers registered with the disease in May 2020 (Interfax 2020c).
• In the Vyazemsky nursing home for the elderly and disabled, located in the town of Vyazma (About the Vyazma care home), where in total (as of April 2020) were 196 residents, cases of coronavirus were found in April 2020, and 67 patients were hospitalized (Interfax 2020d).
Tyumen Oblast
• As reported on December 21, 2020, the coronavirus (second wave) was registered in Vagaysk Care Home (znak.com 2020).
• The same time, in December 2020, the COVID-19 was also registered in the Yarkovsk care home for elderly and disabled (znak.com 2020).
• The same time, in December 2020, the COVID-19 was also registered and in the Isetsk care home for elderly and disabled (znak.com 2020).
Voronezh Oblast
The infection COVID-19 was found on June 8, 2020, among 107 of residents and 12 of the staff in the Ramonskiy care home for the elderly and disabled (RBC 2020), located in the Voronezh Oblast, the village of Ramon. The care home has capacity for 250 residents, on March 1, 2020 there lived 225 residents strong (About the Ramon care home).
References
- About the Balakov care home; Balakov care home for elderly and disabled [Балаковский дом-интернат для престарелых и инвалидов] (in Russian), viewed March 19, 2021 https://social.saratov.gov.ru/social_state_institutions/di/balakovo_di/
- About the gerontology centre "Vishenky"; history of the centre development [Геронтологический центр «Вишенки»; история развития центра] (in Russian), viewed March 28, 2021 https://gerocentr-smolensk.ru/ob-uchrezhdenii/history.html
- About the Nezhinsky care home; Nezhinsky gerantology center; about work [Нежинский геронтологический центр; информация о деятельности] (in Russian), viewed July 7, 2020, http://nezhinsk-centr.omsk.socinfo.ru/regulations
- About the Opochetsky care home; about institution [Опочецкий дом-интернат: об учреждении] (in Russian), viewed February 12, 2021, https://domint-opochka.ru/index.php?section=about
- About the Ramon care home; information about activity [Рамонский дом – интернат для престарелых и инвалидов; информация о деятельности] (in Russian), viewed March 31, 2021 https://di-ramon.e-gov36.ru/its/poselenie |website=di-ramon.e-gov36.ru
- About the Seltso care home; State budgetory stationary institution of social care of people of Bryansk oblast "Care home of small capacity for elderly and disabled people of the town of Seltso" [Государственное бюджетное стационарное учреждение социального обслуживания населения Брянской области «Дом-интернат малой вместимости для пожилых людей и инвалидов г. Сельцо»] (in Russsian), viewed May 30, 2020, http://dimv34.uszn032.ru/
- About the Vyazma care home; Vyazma care home for elderly and disabled [Об учреждении], Вяземский дом-интернат для престарелых и инвалидов (in Russian), viewed June 1, 2020, https://vyazma-dipi.ru/about/ob-uchrezhdenii.html
- Allenova, O. [Алленова, О.] 2020, "В бой с COVID идут старики" ["Elders only are going down fight"], Коммерсантъ (in Russian), 10 May, viewed May 30, 2020, https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4341386
- Holt, A., Butcher, B. 2020, Coronavirus deaths: How big is the epidemic in care homes? BBC, 15 May, viewed July 10, 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52284281
- HRW 2020, "Россия: Обнародовать данные о ситуации с коронавирусом в домах престарелых и психоневрологических интернатах" [Russia: Publish data on the situation with coronavirus in nursing homes and psycho-neurological pensions], Human Rights Watch (in Russian), 2 June, viewed July 17, 2020 https://www.hrw.org/ru/news/2020/06/02/375297#
- Interfax 2020a, В калужском доме престарелых зафиксирована вспышка коронавируса [Coronavirus outbreak recorded in a Kaluga care home for elderly] (in Russian), April 29, viewed May 30, 2020, https://www.interfax.ru/russia/706600
- Interfax 2020b, Более 80 человек заразились коронавирусом в геронтологическом центре в Смоленской области [More than 80 people become infected with coronavirus in the gerontology center in the Smolensk oblast] (in Russian), May 26, viewed March 27, 2021, https://www.interfax-russia.ru/center/news/bolee-80-chelovek-zarazilis-koronavirusom-v-gerontologicheskom-centre-v-smolenskoy-oblasti
- Interfax 2020c, В доме престарелых в Смоленской области 120 человек заразились коронавирусом [120 people infected with coronavirus in a care home in Smolensk oblast] (in Russian), May 12, viewed March 28, 2021, https://www.interfax-russia.ru/center/news/v-dome-prestarelyh-v-smolenskoy-oblasti-120-chelovek-zarazilis-koronavirusom
- Interfax 2020d, Ситуация с коронавирусом в Вяземском доме престарелых стабилизировалась - директор [Situation with coronavirus in Vyazemsky nursing home has stabilized - director] (in Russian), April 23, viewed March 30, 2021, https://www.interfax-russia.ru/center/news/situaciya-s-koronavirusom-v-vyazemskom-dome-prestarelyh-stabilizirovalas-direktor
- Izvestiya [Известия] 2020, Минтруд назвал число больных COVID-19 в интернатах и домах престарелых [Ministry of Labor named the number of patients with COVID-19 in boarding schools and nursing homes] (in Russian), 23 April, viewed May 30, 2020, https://iz.ru/1003549/2020-04-23/mintrud-nazval-chislo-bolnykh-covid-19-v-internatakh-i-domakh-prestarelykh
- Kochetkov, F. [Кочетков, F.] 2000, СМИ: интернат под Вольском закрывают на карантин из-за вспышки коронавируса [Media: care home near Volsk is quarantined due to the outbreak of coronavirus], vzsar.ru (in Russian), September 1, viewed March 19, 2021, https://www.vzsar.ru/news/2020/09/01/smi-internat-pod-volskom-zakryvaut-na-karantin-izza-vspyshki-koronavirysa.html
- Kozlova, E. [Козлова, Е.] 2020, В орловском Доме ветеранов у 24 человек обнаружен COVID-19 [In the Oryol House of Veterans, 24 people have COVID-19], ORELTIMES.RU (in Russian), May 26, viewed January 30, 2021, https://oreltimes.ru/news/coronavirus/v-orlovskom-dome-veteranov-u-24-chelovek-obnaruzhen-covid-19/
- Krymova, Y. [Крымова, Ю.] 2020, В гериатрическом интернате Севастополя выявили очаг COVID-19 [In a geriatric care home in Sevastopol was identified an outbreak of COVID-19], Rossiyskaya Gazeta (in Russian), December 24, viewed January 5, 2021, https://rg.ru/2020/12/24/reg-ufo/v-geriatricheskom-internate-sevastopolia-vyiavili-ochag-covid-19.html
- NEWSNN.RU 2020, Коронавирус нашли у пяти сотрудников нижегородского дома престарелых [Coronavirus found in five employees of the Nizhny Novgorod care home for elderly] (in Russian), December 3, viewed December 25, 2020, https://newsnn.ru/news/society/03-12-2020/koronavirus-nashli-u-pyati-sotrudnikov-nizhegorodskogo-doma-prestarelyh
- Omskinform.ru 2020, В омском доме престарелых, где произошла вспышка COVID-19, пока никто не умер – Минтруд [In the Omsk nursing home, where the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, no one has died yet - Mintrud] (in Russian), June 25, viewed July 7, 2020, https://www.omskinform.ru/news/143181
- Rainsford, S. 2020, Coronavirus: Nightmare spreads through Russia's care homes, BBC, May 28, viewed May 30, 2020, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52784913
- RBC 2020, Более 100 постояльцев дома престарелых под Воронежем заразились COVID-19 [More than 100 residents of the nursing home near Voronezh became infected with COVID-19] (in Russian), June 8, viewed February 28, 2021 https://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/5ede5a6c9a7947254902a41a
- RIA Novosti [РИА Новости] 2020a, На Алтае в интернате для престарелых выявили шесть случаев коронавируса [Six cases of coronavirus detected in a care home for the elderly in Altai] (in Russian), May 27, viewed June 6, 2020, https://ria.ru/20200527/1572039368.html
- RIA Novosti [Риа Новости] 2020b, Все брянские соцучреждения закроют на карантин из-за вспышки COVID-19 [All Bryansk social institutions will be quarantined due to the outbreak of COVID-19 ] (in Russian), April 21, viewed May 30, 2020, https://ria.ru/20200421/1570337956.html
- RIA Novosti [Риа Новости] 2020c, Более 90 человек в подмосковных домах престарелых болеют COVID-19 [More than 90 people in care homes for elderly near Moscow suffer from COVID-19] (in Russian), May 18, viewed January 6, 2021, https://ria.ru/20200518/1571590524.html
- RIA Novosti [Риа Новости] 2020d, Число зараженных коронавирусом в доме престарелых под Саратовом выросло [The number of people infected with coronavirus in a care home for elderly near Saratov has grown] (in Russian), December 12, viewed March 13, 2021, https://ria.ru/20201119/saratov-1585433919.html
- TASS [ТАСС] 2020a, Число зараженных коронавирусом в доме-интернате в Астрахани выросло до 234 [The number of people infected with coronavirus in a boarding house in Astrakhan rises to 234] (in Russian), May 31, viewed June 6, 2020, https://tass.ru/obschestvo/8609647
- TASS [ТАСС] 2020b, В доме-интернате для престарелых и инвалидов в Псковской области выявили очаг коронавируса [An outbreak of coronavirus revealed in a care home for the elderly and disabled in the Pskov region] (in Russian), November 27, viewed February 12, 2021, https://tass.ru/obschestvo/10112879
- znak.com 2020, Роспотребнадзор выявил новый очаг COVID-19 в Тюменской области — вагайский дом престарелых [Rospotrebnadzor has identified a new outbreak of COVID-19 in the Tyumen region - Vagai care home] (in Russian), December 21, viewed March 31, 2021, https://www.znak.com/2020-12-21/rospotrebnadzor_vyyavil_novyy_ochag_covid_19_v_tyumenskoy_oblasti_vagayskiy_dom_prestarelyh
- zona.media 2020, СК возбудил уголовное дело из‑за вспышки коронавируса в доме ветеранов в Орловской области [Investigative Committee opened a criminal case due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the house of veterans in the Oryol region] (in Russian), May 26, viewed January 31, 2021, https://zona.media/news/2020/05/26/dom_veteranov
Additional reading in Russian press
Егорова, А 2020, "Вирус пришел в дома престарелых" [Virus came in care homes for the elderly], Novaya Gazeta (In Russian), 17 April, viewed June 1, 2020, https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/04/17/84944-virus-prishel-v-doma-prestarelyh
