Tremp care home covid outbreak takes 55 lives - 40% of residents

TempleCatalan Health Minister Alba Vergés has pointed out that the investigation opened through the sanctioning proceedings initiated by the Generalitat will have to clarify whether protocols were followed at Tremp's Fiella care home. Vergés travelled to Tremp on Tuesday, where she explained that the Health Department had intervened in the centre from the moment the first positive result was detected on 19 November. Thus, she indicated that on the 20th a screening was done in the whole residence and a delegation of Health was moved, which started to sectorise, to create different clean and dirty circuits and to train the workers in the use of PPE.

Last week the manager of the Alt Pirineu and Aran and Ponent health regions, Divina Farreny, explained that when health professionals entered the residence they found themselves in an "uncontrolled situation" which was "clinically very complicated", which is why they gave guidelines to the centre's managers to try and solve the situation. Farreny added that in successive visits on 25, 27 and 28 November, they found that these indications were not being followed and, finally, on 28 November they decided to take over the management directly through the public company GSS.

This Tuesday, though, Vergés wanted to point out that during these nine days in which the management was not yet GSS, the intervention of the Health Department was already total, acting directly so that these measures of sectorisation, creation of circuits and correct use of the PPE were applied. It also made it clear that when the tests showed a large number of positives, it was already very difficult to carry out the sectorisation established by the protocols, because the effects were almost total. She added that the fact that the management of the centre was positive and had to isolate itself was also a determining factor in deciding to intervene in the management. With regard to the request for information made by the Prosecutor's Office, Vergés has indicated that they will be sent everything they have been asked for this week.

With regard to the current situation in the residence, in the last few hours two more people have died, so that since the beginning of the outbreak there have already been 55 deaths. At this point, there are still 26 residents and 39 professionals who are positive. Health has also reported that 55 residents who have already overcome the coronavirus have been cleared and have completed the quarantine period.

Care home Board of Trustees denies responsibility

On the other hand, the president of the board of trustees of the Jaume Fiella Foundation in Tremp, Joan-Antoni Mateo, has stated that "at no time have the elderly been neglected" and added that this will be evident in the allegations that they will present to the Health Department in relation to the requirements that have been announced. In statements to the ACN, Mateo has said that it will be clear that they have "acted correctly". The President of the Board of Trustees has stated that they are willing to be transparent and to collaborate with the administration and the Public Prosecutor's Office in order to provide all the information they need. Mateo has explained that the first positive case was detected on the 19th, the Health Department informed them on the 26th that another entity would take over the management of the centre and on the 28th this changed and the public company Gestió de Serveis Sanitaris (GSS) took charge.

He also explained that the number of positives in 48 hours increased exponentially, affecting a large part of the staff, and he spoke of "the impossibility of being able to hire new workers", despite the fact that he assures that they tried by all means. This fact generated a situation of "great stress" in the care home due to the "overexertion" of some workers. The outbreak has so far caused 55 deaths.