STAT (8/7, Ortolano) reported “nursing homes face an impossible decision during hurricane season this year – whether or not to evacuate their residents amid the Covid-19 pandemic, risking the health and well-being of their patients and staff in the process.” Even before the pandemic, such decisions were “tough: Research shows that moving frail residents can exacerbate already burdensome health conditions and increase hospitalizations.
But failing to evacuate can leave residents vulnerable to power outages, flooding, and even death.” This year, “that decision is even harder – hospitals are already overburdened and social distancing isn’t necessarily possible in evacuation vans or temporary shelters.”.