MIAMI – Long term care facilities have become hot spots for coronavirus infections, putting thousands of senior citizens across South Florida in danger.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dispatched the National Guard to oversee these homes in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Local 10 News spoke to the administrator of one local facility about what needs to be done before they can even think about reopening.
The National Guard Strike Team plans to begin testing on Thursday at St. Anne's Nursing Center in Miami. They'll test the whole staff, but only 10 of its residents.
According to the CEO of the facility, it's a start, but just a snapshot of the coronavirus situation they're dealing with.
“We are going to require full scale testing every 14 days," said Joe Catania, CEO of Catholic Health Services. "So this is not just a once every 30 days, but this is a full scale testing of all staff and all residents every 14 days."
The capacity for that kind of testing and lab work does not exist anywhere in the state, at the moment.
What does exist is more than 300 long-term care facilities in the state where COVID-19 has sickened and killed the most vulnerable Floridians, and no definitive, long term tools to track how the virus gets inside.
Just overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, they account for 56 more cases, and 12 more deaths.
Hampton Court in Miami, for example, had its first positive case, that it knows of.
“We need the National Guard," said Hampton Court owner Laynie Stern. "We need them to come and test our patients, and our staff, so we can mitigate the spread of the virus properly.”
With long-term care the COVID-19 crisis epicenter, all facilities have been closed to visitors since last month; the elderly and infirm stay isolated from the comfort and embrace of family and visitors.
“I just can’t envision doing this another 12 months, and not allowing a family member in to see their loved one," said Catania.
The 12 month reference is regarding when a possible vaccine to COVID-19 might be available. Until then, the only way to seemingly keep these most vulnerable members of the population healthy is to keep the current isolation orders in place.