Health Team

Fewer infections, more vaccinations allow NC nursing homes to reopen doors to visitors

State health officials said Thursday that nursing homes across North Carolina could resume allowing visitors indoors.

Posted Updated

By
Keely Arthur
, WRAL reporter
WAKE FOREST, N.C. — State health officials said Thursday that nursing homes across North Carolina could resume allowing visitors indoors.

Visitors have been generally barred from nursing homes since last March to limit the spread of coronavirus to the very vulnerable population inside. The only exceptions have been when residents are close to death so families members can see them one final time.

But the state Department of Health and Human Services said coronavirus infections in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are "rapidly declining."

North Carolina was adding about 4,000 cases in nursing homes and residential care facilities each month last fall, but the number spiked to nearly 9,000 in December and topped 10,000 in January.

The number has now returned to levels close to those seen last fall.

Officials said the decline is likely due to a move to vaccinate staff and residents as soon as a vaccine became available.

According to the state, more than 205,000 vaccinations have been administered to long-term care staff and residents since January.

After testing negative for coronavirus, Paula and Ray Nickola were able to visit his mother at Cadence at Wake Forest on Thursday.

"You don’t know how special this is because Ray isn’t a hugger," Peggy Nickola said as her son and daughter-in-law wrapped their arms around her.

Peggy Nickola said being without her family for the past year was "pretty devastating." But she said her daughter-in-law would call her every morning to read Bible passages over the phone.

Ray Nickola said not being able to have his mother home at Christmas was especially tough. Like so many others during the pandemic, he had to wish his mother a merry Christmas through plexiglass.

"I’m 62 years old, and that's the first time that I haven’t been with her," he said. "It was very unusual. It just didn’t seem right."

Peggy Nickola is now fully vaccinated, and she's looking forward to spending next Christmas and so much more with her loved ones.
"What I keep saying to everybody is, if you have a family that cares about you, you’re already way ahead. My kids have been extremely wonderful," she said.

Nursing homes must continue to follow infection control measures for visitors, such as masks and distancing from others. Also, each facility must have reported no new infections for 14 days before allowing visitors.

Mark Foreman, executive director of Cadence at Wake Forest, said no virus cases have been reported at the facility, and he doesn't expect that to change now that outsiders are coming inside.

"There’s always the opportunity [for infection], of course. But we aren’t going to lower our standards to that direction," Foreman said.

"I know it has a been a long, difficult year for residents and families, but those measures saved lives and are now allowing us to resume safe, indoor visitation," DHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in a statement. "While we need to continue infection prevention practices, this decrease is also a positive sign of the impact vaccinations have in our communities."

Visitors need to contact a specific facility for further information about rules and policies.

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