COVID prepared long-term care facilities for norovirus threat

"A new norovirus strain, known as GII.17, spiked throughout the Bay Area last winter, according to wastewater monitoring that tracks disease trends. Experts say the strain spreads more efficiently than earlier versions of the so-called winter vomiting disease. Older adults are especially vulnerable, facing complications such as dehydration from gastrointestinal illnesses. As winter returns, the virus is again circulating, with high concentrations reported in the East Bay and on the Peninsula."

"Changing how facilities respond to suspected infections is critical because the close quarters of senior living centers make them uniquely vulnerable to outbreaks, said Dr. James Deardoff, a geriatrician at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living. "One of the biggest shifts since COVID is that we're much more proactive and much more standardized in our protocols," Deardoff said. Residents with suspected infectious symptoms, for example, are now isolated and tested earlier than in the past."

Five years after COVID-19 devastated California long-term care homes, pandemic-era safety measures are shaping facility responses as a new virus variant circulates. Vaccines and treatments have reduced COVID-19 mortality, but viral threats persist. A new norovirus strain, GII.17, spiked throughout the Bay Area last winter per wastewater monitoring, spreads more efficiently than earlier strains, and poses dehydration and other risks to older adults. Viral concentrations are high in the East Bay and on the Peninsula as winter returns. COVID-era provisions — increased communication with health officials, updated inspections, outbreak-response changes, and stronger infection-prevention staffing — support earlier testing, isolation, and standardized protocols while prompting efforts to balance infection control with residents’ quality of life.

Read at The Mercury News