• Direct: Follow the coronavirus crisis to the minute

The Gregorio Marañón Hospital has carried out a study, pioneering in Spain, on the immunity against Covid-19 that people who live and work in nursing homes have, which has revealed that 70% of the elderly have antibodies against the virus , as well as 30% of employees.

This analysis aimed to know the protection or vulnerability situation of the elderly in these centers and their caregivers. For this, more than 2,500 people from 13 residences in the area of ​​influence of the Marañón have been examined with PCRs and antibody tests.

The study designed by Dr. Emilio Bouza, emeritus of care of the Microbiology Service of the hospital center, with the support of the Ministry of Health of the Community of Madrid, will serve as a pilot project for the rest of the hospitals in the region, which will also carry out studies of seroprevalence in the residences of their respective areas.

Thus, carrying out these analyzes will allow us to have a serological map of the more than 50,000 residents and 20,000 professionals in Madrid's senior centers, both public and private. A global study that will be repeated in three or four months, as reported by the Health Minister, Enrique Ruiz-Escudero, on Thursday.

Dr. Bouza has pointed out that with the conclusions drawn by the Marañón study, residents "can lead a normal life such as receiving visits from family members or even going for walks." And as for the personnel, it has indicated that although contact with the virus represents a lower percentage than that of the elderly, it is clearly higher than that of the general population of the community, which, according to the central government study, stands at 11.4%.

Take measures in case of outbreaks

The results of this project will allow nursing homes to take practical measures to determine the degree of immunity and control possible outbreaks among the inmates and workers of these centers, hit hard by the Covid-19 health crisis.

In addition, they will make it possible to classify the resident population and their caregivers into three categories : knowing which people have positive PCR, which will allow residences to take measures to prevent contagion; identify those with negative PCR and antibodies, because they have either passed the disease or been in contact with the virus and are therefore protected; and, lastly, detecting residents or workers who have not come into contact with the infection (negative PCR and negative antibodies).

As indicated by the Marañón, depending on these groups and their state, residences can take the appropriate strategies to establish isolations, protected areas and regroup, according to their state of seroprevalence, the elderly and caregivers in order to preserve health. and well-being of the elderly and workers while still receiving the best possible care and working in the most optimal safety conditions.

In addition, positive cases will be followed up until they are negative, and the elderly and workers who do not present antibodies to the disease will be analyzed every month and a half or two months, if they are asymptomatic.

Confidential Extractions

According to sources from the Cashew, the study has been the result of collaboration between the Microbiology and Geriatrics services. This last service has coordinated, for two years, the relationship between the Hospital and the 13 nursing homes in the area of ​​influence of the Marañón in order to facilitate the healthcare needs that the inmates of these residences may have.

"Our role in the study has been both organizational, in terms of facilitating contact and the relationship between the residences and the Microbiology Service, as well as in carrying out extractions and taking samples directly in the residences , for part of the Geriatrics staff ", assured the head of the Geriatric Geriatric Service, José Antonio Serra.

"This study, which guarantees the confidentiality of the participants at all times , will allow us to know, as far as research is concerned, the prevalence of the presence of the SARS-2-CoV genome in nasopharyngeal mucosa and seropositivity of residents in the centers for the elderly and the population that cares for them, "added Patricia Muñoz, head of the Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases department.

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