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State lawmaker laments testing, visit limits at nursing home with outbreak
['Clark Kauffman', 'More From Author', '- August']
2021-08-10 State lawmaker laments testing, visit limits at nursing home with outbreak
Responding to an active COVID-19 outbreak in an Iowa nursing home, a conservative state lawmaker on Tuesday questioned the wisdom of testing individuals and restricting visits, saying “government guidelines are depriving us of our humanity.”
Kayla Scheuers, the administrator at the Keosauqua Health Care Center, posted a notice to Facebook Tuesday morning indicating that as of Monday it had one staff member and one resident who had tested positive for COVID-19.
“We will be testing all staff and residents today,” she wrote. “At Keosauqua Health Care Center, we want to assure you that we are adhering to rigorous infection control practices throughout our facility. We will start conducting twice-weekly facility-wide testing per the Iowa Department of Public Health guidance and (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). Regular testing is an effective method of slowing the virus’s spread, so we look forward to continuing this practice until the virus is no longer prevalent.”
Scheuers wrote that the home is not allowing visitors inside the facility at this time, and she encouraged families to schedule a phone call or virtual call with residents.
In response to Scheuers’ post, Rep. Jeff Shipley, a Republican from Birmingham, posted to Facebook: “This is unbelievably sad news. Denying visitors harms the health of the individual. What’s the wisdom of testing asymptomatic people and how cruelly will people who test positive be treated? Why did we devote all our resources to vaccines if they don’t even prevent transmission? Government guidelines are depriving us of our humanity and compassion. This must end now.”
Earlier in the day, Shipley took to Facebook to praise the University of Iowa for being the only Big 10 university to not impose a mask mandate for the fall semester. He wrote: “Great job Hawkeyes! Show the world what it’s like to healthfully breathe, smile, and study in freedom! Prediction: University of Iowa will have much fewer serious COVID infections this fall than Michigan or Ohio State.”
The last reported outbreak at the Keosauqua home occurred in late September 2020 and lasted through November 2020. A total of 54 people were infected as a result of that outbreak, at least 46 of whom were residents of the facility.
According to CMS, three residents of the home have died of the virus during the pandemic. Although 100% of the home’s residents have now been vaccinated, only 58% of the staff have been vaccinated, according to CMS.
Because the situation at the Keosauqua home currently involves only two individuals, who are positive for COVID-19, the Iowa Department of Public Health doesn’t consider it an “outbreak,” which it defines as three or more individuals with the virus.
Currently, only two homes in Iowa meet the agency’s definition of an outbreak: the Hubbard Care Center in Hardin County, where four residents and/or workers are reported to be infected; and the Montrose Health Care Center, where 12 residents and/or workers are infected.
Read more: State-run veterans home tops all Iowa care facilities in COVID-19 outbreaks
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