the virus brought back by an external facilitator despite an up-to-date health pass
An outbreak of covid-19 contamination was detected at the Henri-Dunant nursing home in Saint-Calais, in the Sarthe region. 26 positive cases were counted, three residents died within a week.
A cluster of covid-19 contamination was detected at the Henri-Dunant nursing home in Saint-Calais. Three residents have died to date. This is the first post vaccination cluster in the region.
The contamination would have been brought in by a team of outside animators, each of whose members had not yet passed the health.
“There is a team of animators who intervened in the nursing home a good ten days ago, explains Etienne Magnat, on-call director of ARS Pays de la Loire.
One of them was declared positive the day after his visit to the nursing home, “So we suspect that it was also able to contaminate these residents some of the staff of the nursing home”.
The first positive case was noted on September 21. Antigen tests carried out the next day revealed that three other residents were also positive.
On September 23, a collective screening by PCR test made it possible to detect 11 new positive cases.
Four days later, new tests were carried out on the residents and professionals of the structure. Five residents were then tested positive as well as a nurse, placed in a home septic tank.
As of September 30, the balance sheet was 24 residents and one positive professional.
Two residents were hospitalized that day in the medical service at the Saint-Calais CH and at the La Ferté-Bernard CH.
These two patients died the same day. “For one, the Covid accelerated the deterioration of the state of health which was already” precarious “, specifies the ARS of Pays de la Loire.
The next day, Friday October 1, a third resident died at the Saint-Calais nursing home.
To date, the death toll is three, two women and one man, all over 90 years old and with co-morbidities. 24 residents were infected in total as well as two nursing staff.
A new collective screening, residents and professionals, is scheduled for next Monday. The ARS specifies that the situation is however under control.
A study by Public Health France on this cluster is currently underway to find out whether there has been “a vaccine escape” to know “if the vaccine no longer works”.
“All positive residents are isolated on the same floor to limit the spread of the virus”, specifies the Regional Health Agency, which adds that “The barrier measures are reaffirmed, the temporary stopping of visits and activities has been decided and families have been informed”.
The vaccine booster campaign, which was scheduled for September 27, has been stopped. To date, all residents are vaccinated against Covid-19, “except four, for reasons of medical contraindications”.
“The reminder is more than ever necessary, prosecution Etienne Magnat, if he had intervened earlier, we might not be there “.
ARS Pays de la Loire also specifies that all nursing home staff are vaccinated. It remains to be seen whether the vaccine remains effective for several months after its injection.