COVID-19 Cases in US Nursing Homes Increase by Nearly 80% Earlier This Summer

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Aug 19, 2020 05:58 AM EDT

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases at nursing homes in the United States increased by almost 80 percent this summer.

A new report showed that the increase of COVID cases in nursing homes was driven by the rampant spread of the coronavirus across the South and West coast areas.

There were 9,715 COVID-19 cases recorded in nursing homes at the week of July 26, a 78 percent increase from the June 21 cases, as per the American Health Care Association report.

Tamara Konetzka, a research professor at the University of Chicago who specializes in long-term care, told the AP News that "the case numbers suggest the problem is far from solved."

According to the COVID Tracking Project, nursing homes and long-term care facilities account for less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, but more than 40 percent of COVID-19 deaths.

Nursing Home COVID-19 Cases Increase by Nearly 80% Earlier in Summer

(Photo : David Ramos)
Nursing Homes Still Locked Down, Residents Meet Loved Ones Through A Glass Safely ESPLUGUES DEL LLOBREGAT, SPAIN - MAY 19: Concepcio Zendrera, 100 waits next to Neus Sanchez, psychologist before the visit of her close relatives at La Mallola nursing home on May 19, 2020 in Esplugues del Llobregat, near Barcelona, Spain. As measures ease in Spain, nursing homes remains still locked down to protect elderly people and prevent new outbreaks. La Mallola nursing home has started a program of visits for relatives of residents using one of their big windows. Many of the hundreds of thousand of residents in Spain's nursing homes are already at risk for loneliness, which research shows can undermine their physical and mental health due to the strict quarantine measure to fight the novel coronavirus. This program aims to improve the lockdown of elderly people living in this nursing home as they approach their third month without visits of their close relatives. Over 18,000 elderly people in nursing homes have died in Spain due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Monday's study from the American Health Care Association showed that the weekly deaths rose to nearly 25 percent or 1,706 the week of July 26 from a low point the week beginning July 5.

Coronavirus cases increased mostly at nursing homes across Sun Belt states, where COVID-19 cases and fatalities surge in general.

"As the virus surges in Sun Belt 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.

She noted that they had learned some things on how to minimize the effect in nursing homes. However, she said providers need the tools to implement those best practices.

Securing the supply chain for personal protective equipment and rapid testing are the critical role of federal policy that has not been fulfilled, according to Konetzka.

Compared to the week of May 31, nursing homes in Sunbelt states have less than a third of the weekly coronavirus cases. But by the week starting July 26, it became 78 percent of all cases.

Business Insider previously reported that the coronavirus cases in nursing homes represented about 8 percent of the national caseload and 41 percent of total US COVID-19 deaths.

With the recent significant spikes of the coronavirus cases in many states across the country, Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, noted that the organization was concerned that this trend would lead to a further increase in cases in nursing homes.

"This is especially troubling since many nursing homes and other long term care facilities are still unable to acquire the personal protective equipment and testing they need to fully combat this virus," Parkinson added.

Another expert told the AP News that infection control practices are the number one reason for the growing number of COVID-19 cases and deaths within these facilities. But Parkinson said even perfect infection control would not have stopped the COVID-19 cases in nursing homes because asymptomatic carriers spread the virus.

Parkinson, who released the study, added that one out of 10 facilities lacks adequate personal protective equipment also.

Other struggles include a proper testing regime, which would be too expensive for any facility to afford on its own, according to Business Insider.

The American Health Care Association gave an estimate for a single round of testing for every worker and resident in a nursing home. The assisted living facility would cost $675 million, as per Business Insider.