Health & Fitness

Nutrient deficiencies can take a heavy toll on your health, and this includes increasing your risk of severe outcomes in the case of viral infections like COVID-19. Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin most known for its role in blood clotting and found in foods like spinach, eggs and certain cheeses, is among the latest to be called out for its potential protective role against COVID-19, which may cause blood clotting degradation of elastic fibers in your lungs.

Both thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot obstructs a blood vessel, and coagulopathy, which is a condition in which your blood’s ability to form clots is impaired, are prevalent in severe COVID-19 cases and are linked to decreased survival rates from the disease,¹ which otherwise tends to cause mild or no symptoms in the majority of those affected.

“Coagulation is an intricate balance between clot promoting and dissolving processes in which vitamin K plays a well-known role,” Dutch researchers wrote in a Preprints study,² leading them to suggest that vitamin K levels may be low in people with severe COVID-19.

Low Vitamin K Linked to Severe COVID-19 and Poor Outcomes

To test their hypothesis, researchers studied 123 patients admitted to the Canisius Wilhelmina hospital in Nijmegen, a city in The Netherlands, with COVID-19 along with 184 control patients. Both vitamin K levels and elastin degradation were measured, with vitamin K assessed by measuring desphospho-uncarboxylated matrix Gla protein (dp-ucMGP), which is inversely related to vitamin K status.

Elastin degradation was measured via desmosine, an amino acid found in tendons and a component of elastin. COVID-19 patients with unfavorable outcomes had significantly higher levels of dp-ucMGP, indicating low vitamin K, compared to those with less severe disease. Dp-ucMGP was also significantly elevated in COVID-19 patients compared to those without the disease, and dp-ucMGP and desmosine levels were significantly associated.³ According to the researchers:⁴

“Vitamin K status was reduced in patients with COVID-19 and related to poor prognosis. Also, low vitamin K status seems to be associated with accelerated elastin degradation. An intervention trial is now needed to assess whether vitamin K administration improves outcome in patients with COVID-19.”

Study author Dr. Rob Janssen was in support of vitamin K levels to boost vitamin K levels, except for people taking anticlotting medications.

Speaking to The Guardian, he noted, “We do have an intervention which does not have any side effects, even less than a placebo. There is one major exception: people on anticlotting medication. It is completely safe in other people. My advice would be to take those vitamin K supplements. Even if it does not help against severe Covid-19, it is good for your blood vessels, bones and probably also for the lungs.”⁵ You can also find vitamin K in a variety of foods.

Two Types of Vitamin K and Where to Find Them

There are two types of vitamin K: phylloquinone, or vitamin K1, and menaquinones, or vitamin K2. Vitamin K1 is derived from green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli and cabbage, and is best known for the role it plays in blood clotting. Without enough vitamin K1, your blood can’t clot properly and you’re at risk of bleeding to death.

However, according to Leon Schurgers, a senior scientist at Maastricht University in The Netherlands who was involved in the featured study, and whom I interviewed in 2015, “… the absorption of vitamin K1 from food is extremely low. Only 10% of the vitamin K, which is found in green leafy vegetables, is absorbed in your body … And there’s no variable or modification of the consumption that will significantly increase the absorption.”

Vitamin K2, on the other hand, is better known for its role in bone and heart health, and is found in grass fed animal products such as meat eggs, liver and dairy, as well as in fermented foods, including sauerkraut, certain cheeses and the fermented soy food natto.

Although the amount of vitamin K2 in certain foods, such as cheese, is lower than the amount of vitamin K1 found leafy, green vegetables, Schurgers noted, “all the vitamin K2 is absorbed by the body … Vitamin K2 in the food item is nearly completely absorbed.” Natto is particularly well known for its high concentration of vitamin K2, specifically the longer-chained vitamin K2 known as menaquinone-7 (MK-7).

One study looking into vitamin K bioavailability even found that circulating concentrations of vitamin K2 were about 10 times higher after the consumption of natto than they were of vitamin K1 after eating spinach.⁶

“I have worked with a Japanese scientist in London,” Janssen told The Guardian, “and she said it was remarkable that in the regions in Japan where they eat a lot of natto, there is not a single person to die of Covid-19; so that is something to dive into, I would say.”⁷

Aside from natto, cheese is the food with the highest menaquinone concentrations, but levels vary depending on the type of cheese. Dutch hard cheeses such as gouda and edam have relatively high concentrations, as do French cheeses such as Munster cheese.⁸ Many factors affect the amount of vitamin K2 in your food however, including how long it’s fermented and whether it’s made with grass fed dairy or raised on pasture.

For example, pasteurized dairy and products from factory farmed animals are not high in MK-4, a short-chain form of vitamin K2. Only grass fed animals (not grain fed) will develop naturally high levels.

Vitamin K Also Reduces COVID-19 Comorbidities

A report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on COVID-19, released in February 2020, found a higher crude fatality ratio (CFR) among people with COVID-19 and additional health conditions. While those who were otherwise healthy had a CFR of 1.4%, those with comorbid conditions had much higher rates, as follows:⁹

• Cardiovascular disease — 13.2%
• Diabetes — 9.2%
• High blood pressure — 8.4%

Another study looking into the impact of co-existing health conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes on COVID-19 outcomes found they’re linked to “poorer clinical outcomes,” such as admission to an intensive care unit, a need for invasive ventilation or death.¹⁰ What this means is that lowering your risk of underlying conditions like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure could improve your outcomes if you have COVID-19.

Vitamin K could play a protective role here, as it’s linked to both diabetes and heart health. Both vitamin K1 and K2 intakes may be associated with a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes.¹¹

Vitamin K may influence insulin sensitivity by carboxylating osteocalcin, which may function as a hormone in regulating insulin sensitivity. It could also play a role in reducing insulin resistance and risk of Type 2 diabetes via effects on calcium metabolism.¹² What’s more, a review published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism noted:¹³

“Increased vitamin K1 intake in a cohort study … was shown to decrease risk of developing diabetes by 51%. A recent review suggests that vitamin K supplementation may be used as a novel adjuvant therapy to improve glycemic control and quality of life.”

Vitamin K Boosts Heart Health, Also Important for COVID-19

As mentioned, people with heart disease have poorer outcomes if they develop COVID-19, and vitamin K’s role in heart health is also well-noted, particularly for vitamin K2. One of the reasons why vitamin K2 is so important for heart health has to do with a complex biochemistry involving the enzymes matrix gla-protein (MGP, found in your vascular system¹⁴), and osteocalcin, found in your bone.

“Gla” stands for glutamic acid, which binds to calcium in the cells of your arterial wall and removes it from the lining of your blood vessels. Once removed from your blood vessel lining, vitamin K2 then facilitates the integration of that calcium into your bone matrix by handing it over to osteocalcin, which in turn helps “cement” the calcium in place inside your bone.

Vitamin K2 activates these two proteins, so without it, this transfer process of calcium from your arteries to your bone cannot occur, which raises your risk of arterial calcification. In fact, in one study, those who had the highest amount of vitamin K2 were 52% less likely to experience severe calcification in their arteries and 57% less likely to die from heart disease over a seven- to 10-year period.¹⁵

Low levels of vitamin D and vitamin K have also been linked to high blood pressure,¹⁶ another condition that increases your risk of poor outcomes from COVID-19. While many people — young and old alike — are facing Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, these conditions can be turned around, and in so doing you’ll significantly reduce your risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19. Ensuring you’re getting enough vitamin K is one part of this equation.

Vitamin K Works in Tandem With Vitamin D

Keep in mind that vitamin K2 also works in tandem with vitamin D and magnesium. So, it’s important to remember that vitamin K2 needs to be considered in combination with calcium, vitamin D and magnesium, as these four all have a synergistic relationship that impacts your health.

Vitamin D is also noteworthy in terms of COVID-19, as an analysis of medical records revealed a direct correlation between levels of vitamin D and the severity of illness in people infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.¹⁷

To improve your immune function and lower your risk of viral infections, you’ll want to raise your vitamin D to a level between 60 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) and 80 ng/mL. In Europe, the measurements you’re looking for are 150 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) and 200 nmol/L. This, in addition to addressing your vitamin K intake, is a natural strategy that may significantly lower your risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Are You Getting Enough Vitamin K?

It can be difficult to tell if you’re getting enough vitamin K, as there’s no easy way to screen or test for vitamin K2 sufficiency. Vitamin K2 cannot at present be measured directly, so it’s measured through an indirect assessment of undercarboxylated osteocalcin. This test is still not commercially available, however.

As a general rule, if you have osteoporosis, heart disease or diabetes, you're likely deficient in vitamin K2. Further, it’s believed that the vast majority of people are in fact deficient and would benefit from more K2, which you can achieve by eating more of the following foods:

• Certain fermented foods such as natto, or vegetables fermented using a starter culture of vitamin K2-producing bacteria
• Certain cheeses such as Brie, Munster and Gouda, which are particularly high in K2
• Grass fed organic animal products such as egg yolks, liver, butter and dairy

If you’re taking statin drugs, which are known to deplete vitamin K2,¹⁸ you could also be deficient. If you’re interested in supplementation, as a general guideline, I recommend getting around 150 mcg of vitamin K2 per day.

Others recommend slightly higher amounts — upward of 180 to 200 mcg. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about overdosing on K2, as it appears to be completely nontoxic. If you opt for a vitamin K2 supplement, make sure it’s MK-7. The exception is if you’re on vitamin K antagonists, i.e., drugs that reduce blood clotting by reducing the action of vitamin K. If so, you should avoid MK-7 supplements.

Also be aware that excessive intake of dietary or supplemental vitamin K1 can overcome the anticoagulant effects of blood thinning medications. Further, when taking vitamin K, do so along with a fat. Since vitamin K is fat-soluble, it won’t be properly absorbed otherwise, and be sure to also balance it with calcium, vitamin D and magnesium.

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Bats are sometimes feared and greatly misunderstood. They’ve been particularly vilified in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many are falsely pushing the narrative that bats, and the sale of bats and other animals in wet markets, are to blame for the outbreak. We now have proof that’s simply not true. For more information, be sure to check out tomorrow’s interview with virologist and molecular biologist Jonathan Latham, Ph.D.

In that interview, he presents evidence showing SARS-CoV-2 is highly unlikely to have a natural origin, and stresses that we must not blame the wildlife trade. It’s merely a ruse to cover up compelling evidence showing it’s a lab-created virus that somehow escaped the confines of the laboratory.

So, please, leave bats alone, both figuratively and literally. Avoid them, don’t eat them, don’t hold them — and let scientists know we do not want them to harvest them for culturing and manufacturing new viruses.

What many people don't realize is that bats serve an important purpose, both to humans and the environment. Bats are ecological superheroes that pollinate many of our favorite foods. They also feed on agricultural pests that damage food crops, saving farmers hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars each year.

The featured film, "Growing a Greener World: Bats — Unsung Heroes," explores the benefits bats have on our environment, their role in food production, and what some scientists are doing to protect this important species.

The film starts out in San Antonio, Texas, at Bracken Cave, a major tourist attraction that is home to the world's largest bat colony. The cave provides shelter for about 15 to 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats, according to the film. Each night at sunset during the warmer months, the bats gracefully fly out of the cave in masses to begin their nightly hunt.

Bracken Cave was purchased by Bat Conservation International (BCI) in 1991. It now owns nearly 1,500 acres of former ranchland surrounding the cave, which is in the process of being restored to its natural state.

The land lost some of its original plant and animal diversity when it was being utilized for other purposes such as ranching. But thanks to the conservation work done by BCI, the area is now also home to many bird species, including endangered golden-cheeked warblers.¹

Bats Are the Only True Flying Mammal

In the film, Fran Hutchins, director of Bracken Cave Preserve, reveals that bats are the only true flying mammal. Mexican free-tailed bats weigh just half an ounce, or the equivalent of holding 50 cents in your hand, says Hutchins.

Despite being in the same genetic class as humans, bats are often lumped in with animals like snakes and sharks, some of the creatures we fear the most. But once you start to take a closer look at bats and their unique habits, it's clear there is nothing to fear about these beneficial animals.

There are many fun facts about bats you may not know. For example, despite what you may have heard, bats are not blind. They can see very well. They also have excellent flying abilities and an impressive range of motion.

Bats can fly up to 50 to 60 miles per hour, and travel distances of up to 30 to 50 miles in radius before returning back to their home. Bats are more maneuverable than birds. They use a combination of echolocation and sense receptors that allow them to easily navigate through the night sky.

Their echolocation abilities work by emitting a sound out of their mouth, which bounces off an object. When it returns, it is received and processed by their ears and other facial features. This echolocation technique is what helps bats hunt for food.

Bats emit sounds slowly and repetitively, as they navigate through the environment. However, when bats home in on an insect, the sound increases in frequency right up until they reach their prey. They then use their wings to snatch up the insect before eating it.

Without Bats, We Wouldn't Have Tequila

Bats as a species are incredibly diverse. There are an estimated 1,400 species of bats worldwide. They live on various parts of the planet and range in size. For example, the Kitti's hog-nosed bat, also called the Bumblebee Bat, weighs less than a penny, making it the world's smallest mammal next to the flying fox, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.²

While bats are expert hunters, they are also important pollinators. Just like birds, butterflies and bees, bats pollinate many important food crops, but because they do so at night under the cover of darkness, they don't get as much recognition.

More than 300 species of food-producing plants depend on bats for pollination. Some of these include guavas, bananas, mangos, figs, dates, cashews and peaches. Bats also pollinate other flowering plants including agave, the key ingredient in tequila.

Without bats, we would not have tequila. Bats are the main pollinator of agave, which blooms at night in Desert Southwest, according to the film. Agave plants are a major food source for bats. Unfortunately, in an effort to maximize profits, some big-time tequila producers are cutting down agave stalks before they have a chance to flower.

This is a big problem for bats. Luckily, some producers are being a little more responsible in the way they grow agave and produce tequila. They are allowing some of the agave plants to flower so that bats have a food source along their migratory pathway.

Some sustainable tequila producers have even branded their products "bat-friendly." Bat-friendly tequila can be found at various specialty bars and restaurants around the U.S., including San Antonio's Esquire Tavern, which serves a spicy cocktail called the "Batman of Mexico." It's made with Tequila Ocho, which can be found at some U.S. liquor stores for about $45 a bottle.³

Austin's South Congress Bridge Is Home to 1.5 Million Bats

The next stop in the film is Austin, Texas. The capital city is best known for its laid-back atmosphere, tasty tacos and its "Keep Austin Weird" slogan. It's also known for its bats, which reside under the South Congress Bridge.

The bridge was constructed using cast-in-place concrete to expedite the construction. Little did they know the design would create tiny spaces underneath the bridge that serve as the perfect bat house.

An estimated 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats migrate north to Austin and call the bridge home during the warmer months of March through October.⁴ Like they do at the Bracken Cave, millions of bats descend from under the bridge at sunset, swirling in a mesmerizing tornado-like shape.

Mylea Bayless, senior director of Networks & Partnerships Bat Conservation International, says in the film that the bats stay together like a school of fish in order to avoid predators. They fly downstream along the tree line out to the corn and cotton fields where they primarily feed on agricultural pests. The viewing draws thousands of people who line up along the bridge each night, waiting to watch the bats.

Bats Save Organic Pecan Farm in Texas

While bats get a lot of recognition in some of Texas' largest cities, they are equally as honored in the Texas Hill Country. The featured film visits John Byrd, a pecan orchardist and owner of King's Crossing Farm, an organic farm located in San Saba, Texas.

The 109-acre farm was established by Byrd's grandfather in 1944, who was also one of the founders of the Texas Pecan Growers Association. Texas is one of few states where pecans are indigenous.⁵

Byrd's 1,200 pecan trees are part of the family legacy. But they are also an attraction for pests. In the film, Byrd explains that the biggest pest threat to his pecans is the casebearer moth, which can lay 100 eggs at a time. Each egg makes a little caterpillar that goes into a pecan nut and kills it.

If all 100 eggs are able to successfully make their way into a cluster of pecans, they can kill 100 pecans, says Byrd. That's about 1 pound, which costs about $1.50. So, for every moth, the farm stands to lose $1.50. Byrd uses organic growing methods on his farm,⁶ which means pesticides are not an option for dealing with the moths.

Bats Are Nature's Exterminator

"I have 400-year-old pecan trees that have been doing well without chemicals or people, and they produce pecans," he says. "There is a way to do it without pesticides. I want to promote life, not death, in my orchards."

In an effort to deal with the moths naturally, Byrd started building bat houses in hopes of attracting the animals to his orchard. He started out with a small bat house, which was quickly filled with bats. He then built a bat house three times the size as the first. It too filled almost immediately with bats.

Finally, he built one of the largest bat houses available, which can hold up to 30,000 bats. It took a while longer, but it too, eventually became full. Byrd says the large bat house now holds about 20,000 bats. They're doing their job, too, he says. DNA analysis found the bats were in fact eating the casebearer moths. Byrd now has fewer pests and more pecans.

Bats are one of nature's best exterminators. The bats that live in Bracken Cave outside of San Antonio eat an estimated 147 tons of insects per night, most of which are agricultural pests, according to the film. As a result, bats save farmers in the Texas Hill County about $750,000 a year in crop damage and pesticides. In the U.S, bats are estimated to save farmers anywhere from $3.7 billion to $53 billion per year.⁷

Bats Are Threatened Worldwide

Despite their importance, bats worldwide are at risk for a number of reasons including habitat loss, climate change, disease, deforestation and the bushmeat trade.⁸ Scientists report a loss of 50% of the world's insects since 1970,⁹ a disastrous estimation that's predicted to affect all types of wildlife, including bats.

Another major threat to bats is white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that eats away the tissue of North American bats. The pathogen gets its name from the appearance of a fuzzy white material that grows on the bats' snout, ears, wings or feet.

The pathogen prefers cold temperatures, which means bats are most susceptible when they are hibernating and their body temperature is reduced, explains Chris Cornelison, Ph.D., a research assistant professor at Kennesaw State University.

"From a wildlife disease standpoint, we're experiencing some of the most precipitous, severe-associated declines of wildlife that have ever been recorded," says Cornelison in the film. "In some of the worst cases, we've observed over 99% declines in those populations."

The good news is that scientists are working hard on solutions. One solution involves the use of naturally occurring VOCs that can be used in conjunction with a nebulizer to produce an aerosol volatilized gas to spray on the bats. This represses the growth of the fungus while they hibernate.

This is sometimes challenging, as bats hibernate in caves that are inaccessible to humans. For example, at the Black Diamond Tunnel in North Georgia, scientists had to develop the infrastructure to mount a nebulizer on a boat in order to send it autonomously into the cave to distribute the antifungal gas.

Want to Help Protect Bats? Here Are Some Things You Can Do

As you can see, bats are incredibly important for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. If you want to help protect bats, one thing you can do is to plant an organic, pesticide-free garden with night-scented flowers. If you are able, it's also helpful to leave dead and dying trees, as these spaces create perfect roosting sites for bats.¹⁰

You can also put up a bat house. Click here for information on where to purchase a bat house or build one yourself.

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For anyone living in a nursing home or other long-term or assisted-living facility, these are particularly difficult times. I’ve heard more than one resident complain bitterly about feeling trapped in their rooms, having meals left outside their door (rather than gathering in the dining room with friends), and not being allowed to participate in their routine activities or have visitors. “They’re treating me like a prisoner,” said one resident I know. Yes, for many, it’s feeling more like a prison than the place they knew as home before the pandemic.

And yet there are good reasons for all the restrictions. A recent analysis shows that residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities account for 42% of all COVID-19 deaths in the US. In more than a dozen states, over half of deaths were among nursing home residents. West Virginia (80%), Minnesota (80%), and Rhode Island (73%) had the highest rates.

Unfortunately, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities offer the perfect breeding grounds for viral infections like the novel coronavirus: many people living indoors in close quarters and in close contact — in fact, regularly dining and socializing together.

Other contributors include:

• Advanced age is a risk factor for more severe illness with COVID-19.
• Chronic medical conditions. Hypertension, heart, lung, and kidney disease, and diabetes are common among nursing home residents.
• Inadequate testing and access to personal protective equipment.
• Ability to follow preventive measures. Those with dementia may not remember to wear a mask or maintain a social distance.
• Family adherence to preventive measures. Family members may try to bypass restrictions established by long-term care facilities because they feel the risks of COVID-19 are lower than the risks of keeping their loved one socially distanced, or they may be skeptical about the seriousness of COVID-19.
• Care needs. For people who need help dressing, bathing, and eating, it is impossible for staff to maintain social distance. Staff may lack necessary protective equipment, or find nearly constant mask-wearing and frequent disinfecting and hand sanitizing hard to maintain.
• Shared spaces. In many places, residents share bathrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, and activity areas. Modifying how and where residents spend their days is challenging, especially for smaller facilities with tight budgets and little flexibility in the physical layout.
• Vulnerable staff. COVID-19 tends to be more severe among people who are poorer and members of minority groups (especially African Americans). Many employees in long-term care facilities are members of these higher-risk groups. Many cannot afford to miss work, and may work at more than one facility. So, if a staff member becomes ill, they may spread infection before they know they have it. Or, they may feel they need to keep working if their symptoms are mild.
• Understaffing, low pay, and high staff turnover are particularly common in this industry, and may also be important contributors.

What happens when a resident develops COVID-19?

Once someone develops COVID-19 in a nursing home, they’re isolated from others and receive necessary medical care. But, then what? If they are recovering but not sick enough to be in a hospital, where can they go? Many long-term care facilities have set aside separate areas (and separate staff) to look after them. But not every place can do this. Even with the best efforts, any infected individual can trigger an outbreak in a facility. And of course, there has to be a plan in place to end the isolation of infected residents — yet it may not be clear when isolation can end without risking spread of the virus.

Keeping residents safe from COVID-19

Some care facilities have been spared an outbreak of the virus so far. Enacting protective measures right away and training staff and residents about how to avoid the virus may have played a role. Some facilities tested staff and residents early in the outbreak and repeatedly, so that anyone infected could be separated from everyone else.

Other factors in their success might include low rates of community spread, a lower number of residents, and halting new admissions (or requiring a two-week quarantine of any new residents). Some credit having staff agree to work in only one facility and providing pay raises to make this possible.

Guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended certain restrictions: limiting visits, no communal dining or group activities, daily screening for symptoms or fever, requiring staff to wear masks. Possibly, facilities that conscientiously followed these guidelines were more successful at avoiding outbreaks. In many states, outdoor visits are recommended because the risk of spreading the virus is lower outside.

Some nursing homes are relaxing visitor restrictions

Recently, CMS released new recommendations about relaxing visitation restrictions that include

• testing all staff every week. Residents should have a baseline test and repeat testing if any other resident or staff member tests positive or has symptoms suggesting COVID-19.
• no new cases for at least a month
• adequate personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies
• adequate staffing
• adequate hospital and ICU beds nearby to take care of residents needing this care.

In many places, these ambitious goals will not be met for weeks or even months from now. Yet it’s clear that nursing homes cannot remain closed to visitors indefinitely. The impact of isolation on residents is just too great. So hopefully, protective measures and community containment of the virus will safely allow visits to resume soon.

The cost of isolation

Even if those living in long-term facilities manage to avoid the virus that causes COVID-19, it’s important to recognize that the mitigation efforts may take a terrible toll. Social interactions matter at every age. Extensive research on older adults links a strong social network to better psychological well-being and physical health.

The impact may be particularly profound on people who are elderly, already have dementia, disability, and psychological problems: these are precisely the people for whom social connectedness, routine, and structure are most important. The pandemic has taken a lot of this away from them.

The way forward

Measures to help residents avoid getting COVID-19 are essential. But so are strategies to help counter isolation, such as:

• re-introducing activities that allow distancing (such as book clubs, art classes, or bingo)
• encouraging outdoor activities, including ones that used to be held indoors (such as art or music classes)
• frequent video or telephone contact with family, which staff may be helpful in setting up. Some nursing homes purchased iPads for residents to allow them to have virtual visits, take virtual walks, or watch a movie with family.
• frequent “window visits” and bringing in favorite meals if allowed
• establishing “bubbles” of residents who have quarantined and can socialize
• sending some people home if there’s adequate support there; this may require major improvements in the availability and capabilities of home care (which will require funding).

While much has been done to contain COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities, the toll has been substantial, and many residents still feel imprisoned. Balancing the risks of infection with the risks of mitigation efforts will continue to present an enormous challenge to nursing homes and long-term care facilities until the pandemic is under control, or we have effective treatments or a vaccine. Talk to the management of your loved one’s facility to find out what more you can do.

The post The plight of nursing home residents in a pandemic appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

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