Officials: Precautions in place for vulnerable populations in region

March 10, 2020

One way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is by restricting access of potentially sick people to vulnerable populations. 

That means people showing symptoms of the flu or the common cold should refrain from making trips to nursing homes or visiting loved ones in long-term care facilities, Dr. David A. Nace, chief medical officer for UPMC Senior Communities, said during a news conference Monday morning at UPMC Montefiore in Pittsburgh. 

“This will help us avoid accidentally spreading not only COVID-19, but any of the many respiratory viruses currently circulating in our communities to our vulnerable elderly population,” Nace said. 

Nace said there’s heightened awareness around those types of facilities after a nursing home near Seattle has become an American epicenter of sorts for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 100,000 and resulted in 3,000 deaths worldwide.