Dad in care home, covid outbreak a week after the jab

[FromTheAshes]

I'm clinging on to the idea that his immune system had time to get primed a little before he got infected. Almost half the residents have caught it, and a huge number of the staff. We've been asked not to contact the home at they are needing to prioritise day to day care for the residents with the staff they have (understandably) so I've no way of knowing how he's doing unless they call to say he's got bad. He seemed OK just after testing positive, when they called.

So frustrating that the home had managed to remain covid free so long, then relief at him having the jab, now this news. Has anyone been in a similar situation? Did it stay mild even with underlying health issues?

@FromTheAshes I'm sorry to hear this OP. Does your Dad have a phone so you could call him direct to find out how he is? My DF is also in a care home. They had an outbreak but was soon under control and most of the residents had it mildly. DF never tested positive at all inspite of underlying health conditions. Hang in there x

Thanks @WhiteChocTwix, dad has Alzheimers and stopped being able to use a phone independently about a year ago so the activities staff assist with contact, but they are off with covid themselves and the rest of the staff are run ragged. Thanks for your kind words, I'm hoping this ends well for all the residents.

My aunt, uncle & uncle's mum had it recently. Uncle's mum is in her 90s and had received the vaccine a few days before. She was fine, a bit tired. My uncle had it worst and was in hospital.

I'm sorry to hear this. Was it a coincidence that HCPs visited the home to give the injections a week before the outbreak, or was that the likely source of transmission? I wish your DF a good recovery. 💐

Where we live a number of care homes have survived so far up until December without any cases and are now seeing them now. A friend of ours works in one care home and all residents tested positive a week before Christmas, but only one was showing symptoms. None of them had been vaccinated at that stage.

I work in a care home, we were covid free untill 23rd December - a week after some staff had the 1st vaccine. Sadly I think we caught it at the vaccination hall, and that's how it got in. There was very little cleaning from what I personally saw in there, an it was full of elderly people, and carers.
We are heartbroken, we'd kept it out so long. We're a small home, only 25 residents who we genuinely care about. Mixed ages and abilities.

With regard to your dad, are the home not facilitating video calls etc? I know we have been very short staffed with illness, but we've still video called relatives, and rang them every day.

Some of our residents sadly passed away, although some are totally fine even with serious underlying health conditions.
They were just about to receive their vaccine when the outbreak began.
Hopefully your dad having had his, it will stop him getting it so severely.

My Dad had it in May, aged 97. No symptoms apart from tiredness and being off his food (therefore possible loss of smell/taste). No symptoms apart from tiredness is something being reported from a lot of care homes, according to the manager.

You do know how he's doing, in that, if you aren't being contacted, then he's OK - keep telling yourself that.

The median incubation period is 4-5 days (and the Government incubation period if asymptomatic is 10 days, so you can assume he's very unlikely to start symptoms after that). Then, if it's going to be severe, that happens 5-10 days after symptoms appear. So, 10-15 days after the test, if they haven't contacted you, you can feel hopeful.

Sorry to hear what has happened to your dad.

@FromTheAshes wanted to check back in with you OP, anymore news today? I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad's Alzheimer's. 😥 My DF's bestie had the Oxford vaccine yesterday and then taken to hospital with vomitting last night I'm so worried ☹️

[quote WhiteChocTwix]@FromTheAshes wanted to check back in with you OP, anymore news today? I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad's Alzheimer's. 😥 My DF's bestie had the Oxford vaccine yesterday and then taken to hospital with vomitting last night I'm so worried ☹️[/quote]
Was it a side effect ? X

@Spiratedaway I'm not sure but at least 5 residents had the same issue apparently. DF is fine, not even a sore arm!

A friends dad ( in a nursing home from a stroke a few years ago) tested positive but was well and they weren’t worried. Unfortunately he then stopped eating and went into decline, then he died.

I am sorry your dad has Covid and I know how awful it is when you cannot be with them. My dad had Covid in a care home late last year (before vaccination). It very much depends on their general health and age if they can overcome it and I know the staff will be devastated and extremely busy but they should put something in place so you can know how he is, even if it is for one family member to call at a quieter time of day and relay the information to other family members. I used to go and wave to my dad through the window and write notes on a wipe board for him but we weren't in lockdown then. I know many of the residents simply felt very tired and didn't have the dry cough etc so that is one comfort and I work in the community with many elderly people who have had Covid and have had little or no symptoms. I hope happier times with him are not too far away for you

So awful, so sorry. Exactly the same thing has happened to my grandfather. Big outbreak at his care home a week after they all had their first jab. He had symptoms late last week, but test came back negative. Then he tested positive on Monday. Incredibly sad and frustrating. It's now just a waiting game.

Shocking that you're left in the dark by the care home, that is awful. Fingers crossed for your dad.

How worrying x

Thanks for all your messages, sorry I've not replied, I've been laid flat with a non covid bug for a week (how dare they still exist?!). Had a message from the care home to say that a team of staff have moved in to the home to provide consistent fulltime support for the residents rather than use agency. That really highlights just how short staffed they are. They're going to try to make regular calls to family to provide updates on each resident so I'm currently working on the assumption that no need is good news.

Thanks for all your messages and reassurances. I'm crossing everything and ignoring last night's Boriscon.