Over 10,000 coronavirus deaths in U.S. nursing, long-term care facilities

Deaths within nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the nation recently eclipsed 10,000, making up a large portion of the total U.S. death toll from COVID-19.

Original article written by Jon Kamp and Anna Wilde Mathews

Image taken by Grant Hindsley for The New York Times

Updated April 22, 2020

Due to a lack of testing and a particularly vulnerable set of residents, deaths within long-term care facilities across the U.S. recently eclipsed 10,000 after data came out from 35 states. This means that long-term care facilities make up a large portion of the total U.S. death toll from COVID-19, which sits at around 46,000 as of this April 22nd. Experts suggest that the COVID-19 cases within nursing facilities most likely originated from asymptomatic staff members, as visitors to nursing homes are currently banned. 4,800 facilities around the country have seen an infection of the virus, while 56,000 nursing facility residents and staff have COVID-19. Facilities that house older individuals are particularly hard-hit because the elderly are more likely to be frail and are thus vulnerable to infection due to the close-set nature of living arrangements. As a result, nursing homes will probably be the last to open even if economic activity resumes. States like New York, Florida, and California have just started releasing the names of nursing homes with an infection, and many are calling for long-term care facilities to be top-priority when it comes to COVID-19 testing. Florida, West Virginia, and Massachusetts have all attempted to increase testing among nursing homes. Read more at https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-deaths-in-u-s-nursing-long-term-care-facilities-top-10-000-11587586237?mod=hp_lead_pos1