The COVID-19 pandemic identifies the problems of preventing respiratory illnesses in seniors, especially frail multimorbidity seniors in nursing homes and Long-Term Care Facilities (LCTFs). Medline and Embase were searched for nursing homes, long-term care facilities, respiratory tract infections, disease transmission, infection control, mortality, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. For seniors, there is strong evidence to vaccinate against influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and pneumococcal disease, and evidence is awaited for effectiveness against COVID-19 variants and when to revaccinate. There is strong evidence to promptly introduce comprehensive infection control interventions in LCFTs: no admissions from inpatient wards with COVID-19 patients; quarantine and monitor new admissions in single-patient rooms; screen residents, staff and visitors daily for temperature and symptoms; and staff work in only one home. Depending on the vaccination situation and the current risk situation, visiting restrictions and meals in the residents' own rooms may be necessary, and reduce crowding with individual patient rooms. Regional LTCF administrators should closely monitor and provide staff and PPE resources. The CDC COVID-19 tool measures 33 infection control indicators. Hand washing, social distancing, PPE (gowns, gloves, masks, eye protection), enhanced cleaning of rooms and high-touch surfaces need comprehensive implementation while awaiting more studies at low risk of bias. Individual ventilation with HEPA filters for all patient and common rooms and hallways is needed.
Introducción: se denomina SARS-CoV-2 al tipo de betacoronavirus causante de la COVID-19, la cual se ha expandido rápidamente en el mundo y ha generado una emergencia en salud pública. Diferentes causas pueden explicar este comportamiento, como el tipo de transmisión, que ha sido motivo de debate con diferentes posiciones respecto a la implicación del aerosol y las vías extrapulmonares. El objetivo de este artículo es consolidar información sobre los diferentes mecanismos y vías de transmisión del SARS-CoV-2. Metodología: se realizó una revisión narrativa de la literatura por medio de una búsqueda sistemática en bases de datos como Pubmed, Embase, ScienceDirect, MEDLINE, centro de registros Cochrane de ensayos controlados (CENTRAL) y Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud (LILACS), con términos DeCS como "transmisión", "aerosol" y "betacoronavirus". Al aplicar los criterios de inclusión y exclusión, así como lectura crítica con herramienta CASPe, se seleccionaron 31 artículos. Resultados: la propagación del virus se presenta por contacto con gotas, fómites y aerolización, lo que favorece la contaminación del aire y su permanencia incluso hasta ocho horas, siendo esto lo que propaga la enfermedad. La presentación de vías sanguínea y oral-fecal no es frecuente, pero en casos como la realización de procedimientos o el requerimiento transfusional toman relevancia y se deben tomar medidas. Conclusiones: se debe considerar a todos los pacientes como potenciales transmisores, así como la inducción mecánica de aerosoles y la autoinducida, sin requerir una manipulación vigorosa de la vía aérea para la aerolización y transmisión del virus. También se deben tener en cuenta las medidas para el manejo del medio y la posibilidad de transmisión por la vía extrapulmonar, como la vía sanguínea y orofecal.
The COVID-19 pandemic identifies the problems of preventing respiratory illnesses in seniors, especially frail multimorbidity seniors in nursing homes and Long-Term Care Facilities (LCTFs). Medline and Embase were searched for nursing homes, long-term care facilities, respiratory tract infections, disease transmission, infection control, mortality, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. For seniors, there is strong evidence to vaccinate against influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and pneumococcal disease, and evidence is awaited for effectiveness against COVID-19 variants and when to revaccinate. There is strong evidence to promptly introduce comprehensive infection control interventions in LCFTs: no admissions from inpatient wards with COVID-19 patients; quarantine and monitor new admissions in single-patient rooms; screen residents, staff and visitors daily for temperature and symptoms; and staff work in only one home. Depending on the vaccination situation and the current risk situation, visiting restrictions and meals in the residents' own rooms may be necessary, and reduce crowding with individual patient rooms. Regional LTCF administrators should closely monitor and provide staff and PPE resources. The CDC COVID-19 tool measures 33 infection control indicators. Hand washing, social distancing, PPE (gowns, gloves, masks, eye protection), enhanced cleaning of rooms and high-touch surfaces need comprehensive implementation while awaiting more studies at low risk of bias. Individual ventilation with HEPA filters for all patient and common rooms and hallways is needed.
