Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has called for more awareness of the fact that the signs and symptoms of Covid-19 in the elderly are not necessarily limited to a cough or a temperature.
Having seen evidence of testing locally, where large numbers of individuals in care homes who were not thought to be carrying Covid did in fact test positive, James is calling for greater awareness of the nature of the virus in elderly individuals.
Raising the issue in a recent virtual meeting of the Health and Social Care Committee, James stressed that many elderly people who have tested positive in care homes have been asymptomatic.
Speaking after the meeting, James said:
“Covid-19 is certainly a difficult virus in that the symptoms can present in various ways in different individuals. A cough or a temperature are still the key symptoms to look out for, however the evidence is showing that the signs and symptoms of Covid in the elderly are not necessarily limited to this. In fact there has been a number of asymptomatic individuals among the elderly population and it is vital that all our care homes and their staff are aware of this so they can take the appropriate action moving forward.”
During the meeting, James also raised concerns regarding the difficulty of isolating cases in care homes, due to the fact that many such facilities are converted older buildings that are not purpose built.
Commenting after the meeting, he said:
“Many care homes are in old converted buildings, which during this pandemic has resulted in problems when it comes to isolating cases, as often residents have no option but to use shared bathrooms.
“This crisis has really highlighted the need for different arrangements in care homes going into the future, with en-suite facilities as standard, for example.
“This pandemic has hit care homes hard and we therefore need to seriously consider all measures that can be taken to reduce the risk to residents in future circumstances, including ensuring that care homes can provide isolation more easily.”
