Nursing Homes Prove To Be Ideal Breeding Ground For The Coronavirus Pandemic

As cases of COVID-19 surged throughout Connecticut and the nation, “a perfect storm” of circumstances rendered nursing homes unable to handle the crisis, hastening the virus’ spread and deaths, experts say. “It’s just kind of this perfect storm. It’s just the nature of the beast. This is the worst situation for a virus like this,” said Dr. David Hill, professor of medical science and director of global public health at Quinnipiac University Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine. Indeed, nursing homes care for an extremely frail population, many with underlying health conditions.

Nursing Home Fined After Resident Chokes On Carrot, Dies

Two nursing homes have been fined by the state Department of Public Health, including a home in Wallingford that was fined $2,500 in connection with the choking death of a resident. On Feb. 25, the Village Green of Wallingford received the fine in connection with the Feb. 4 incident in which the resident died after choking on a carrot, the DPH citation said. The resident was supposed to receive a pureed diet, but that day, a nurse found the resident unresponsive with a tray of food that included chopped, not pureed food, the citation said.