Nation’s nursing homes hit hard
Virus cases spike 77%
WASHINGTON — COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes jumped nearly 80% earlier this summer, driven by rampant spread across the South and much of the West, according to an industry report released Monday.
“The case numbers suggest the problem is far from solved,” said Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago who was not involved with the study.
Long-term care facilities account for less than 1% of the U.S. population, but more than 40% of COVID19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The situation is a politically sensitive issue for President Trump, who is scrambling to hold on to support from older voters as polls show disapproval of his administration’s response to the pandemic.
The White House announced in late July the release of $5 billion for nursing homes, while launching a program to equip each of some 15,000 facilities with a fast-test machine to screen residents and staff.
Monday’s study from the American Health Care Association found there were 9,715 coronavirus cases in nursing homes the week starting July 26, a 77% increase from a low point the week of June 21. The group is the industry’s main trade association.
Nursing homes in Sunbelt states had more time to prepare than facilities in the Northeast that were hit in late winter and early spring, with grim results. But Konetzka and other researchers have been warning that once a community anywhere experiences an outbreak, it’s only a matter of time before the coronavirus enters its nursing homes.
A leading theory is that staffers who don’t yet know they’re infected unwittingly bring the virus in. Inside, the coronavirus encounters an ideal environment in which to spread among frail older people living in close quarters.
“As the virus surges in Sunbelt states, there’s no reason to think it won’t affect nursing homes in the same way it did in states that surged earlier,” said Konetzka.
Mark Parkinson, head of the nursing home trade group that produced the study, said that asymptomatic spread is particularly challenging aspect of the virus.
“The data indicate that this virus is spread by asymptomatic carriers and that even perfect infection control wouldn’t have stopped it,” he said. “The challenge with this virus is that because it is spread by asymptomatic carriers the prior infection control procedures didn’t work.”
Parkinson said that about 10% of facilities still report lacking an adequate supply of N95 masks, considered standard for hospital personnel.
He said the administration’s effort to distribute fast-test machines could be a “game changer,” but added “there’s still a long way to go.” Distribution is expected to be completed by the end of September.