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Istituto Superiore di Sanità
EpiCentro - Epidemiology for public health
Epidemiology for public health - ISS

A survey on COVID-19 infection in long-stay residential care homes

The COVID-19 health emergency can have a particularly negative impact on long-stay residential care homes (LSRCHs), where elderly people and /or people with disabilities and severe neurological diseases live in close contact with their fellow residents and the staff who care for them. Indeed, it is well known that older people and those with underlying medical conditions are more at risk of developing severe symptoms.

 

To monitor the situation and adopt potential strategies aimed at strengthening essential plans and principles for healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) control and prevention, on 24 March 2020, the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) - in cooperation with Italy’s national authority for the rights of prisoners and people deprived of their liberty (GNPL) - launched a survey on COVID-19 infection in LSRCHs. According to the GNPL National Register - a database allowing geolocation of health and social care facilities operating in Italy - there are currently 4629 LSRCHs in our country.

 

Useful resources

 

Page last reviewed: 17 June 2020

Publication date: 8 April 2020

Author: Nicola Vanacore - Centro Nazionale per la Prevenzione delle malattie e la Promozione della Salute, CNAPPS, ISS