Between March and October, 117 people died in nursing homes in Uppsala County.

During the second wave, from October to February 8, more than 110 people died.

The statistics are lagging behind so it is possible that the figure has already changed.

The staff has been trained in hygiene routines and cohort care, relatives have not been allowed to visit, mouth guards and visors have become standard equipment.

Why do the elderly continue to be infected and die?

"Inevitable"

According to Region Uppsala's director of health and medical care Mikael Köhler, it is inevitable that infection enters nursing homes when the spread in society is as great as it is.

The spread is also considered to be greater in the autumn than in the spring, but it is difficult to measure because far fewer were tested during the first wave.

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Mikael Köhler on the infection in nursing homes

Uses the equipment incorrectly

Another explanation is that the routines and equipment introduced are not followed and used correctly.

In a national survey from the trade union Kommunal, just over one in ten safety representatives in nursing homes answered that employees did not use protective equipment correctly as late as January this year.

Hard criticism from IVO

Last week, there was also a report from IVO that directs harsh criticism at three selected nursing homes in the county.

One of them is run by Uppsala municipality.

Among other things, it appears that nurses have handed over control of patients' state of health to nursing staff, the elderly have been found dead in their rooms and given palliative care without talking to doctors.

The chair of the senior citizens' committee in Uppsala, Eva Christiernin (S), says that the criticism confirms the image given by the corona commission and which Kommunal has flagged for many years.

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This is a year when everyone has done their best.

But not everyone has had the conditions to do so, she says.

At the next board meeting, the chairman will present a proposal to set up a function for welfare development.

- Elderly care must cost money, she says.

It's time for that now.