Coronavirus cases rose over 24% in nursing homes in October.
A new report from the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, based on data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Johns Hopkins University, finds that weekly cases rose nationwide from 6,141 on Oct. 4 to 7,563 on Oct. 18.
“As we feared, the sheer volume of rising cases in communities across the U.S., combined with the asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic spread of this virus, has unfortunately led to an increase in new COVID cases in nursing homes,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA and NCAL.
The Midwest area that runs from Ohio to the Dakotas is hardest hit, accounting for 43% of COVID-19 cases in nursing homes. The South Central area, which runs from Kentucky to Texas, is the second hardest hit, accounting for 27% of cases. The Pacific area of California, Oregon, and Washington has the least amount of cases, at 3%.
During that same two-week period, COVID-19-related deaths in nursing homes have increased only slightly, from 1,015 to 1,033 on a weekly basis. Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities house many elderly with underlying medical conditions, a population that is at the highest risk of death from COVID-19. According to the New York Times, about 38% of coronavirus deaths are linked to nursing homes.
