Staying Fit
American nursing homes last month reported their highest COVID-19 death rate since they began submitting data to the U.S. government, a new AARP analysis of federal data shows. Over four weeks, from late November to late December, 19,386 residents and 184 staff died from the virus.
As deaths spiraled — adding to the nation’s long-term care death total of roughly 133,000 residents and staff, which represents 37 percent of all deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. — more than 200,000 residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19 during those four weeks, placing many more lives in danger.
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The figures represent startling jumps in COVID-19 deaths and infections in nursing homes nationwide since AARP began its monthly analysis of federal coronavirus data in September. The resident death rate quadrupled from 0.48 per 100 residents – around one death per 200 residents – for the Aug. 24 to Sept. 20 reporting period to 1.88 per 100 residents — nearly one death per 50 residents — for the most recent reporting period, which ran from Nov. 23 to Dec. 20.
The new figures mark the highest COVID-19 death rate since nursing homes began submitting data to the government last May.
New resident cases have increased fourfold since AARP launched its monthly analysis, jumping from 2.6 to 10.8 per 100 residents for the same reporting periods, with new staff cases rising from 2.5 to 9.3 per 100 residents.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” says AARP’s Elaine Ryan, vice president of state advocacy and strategy integration. “It’s just a devastating failure on the part of the federal and state governments to protect lives.”
For months, she says, “it’s been the same story: raging infections and tragic deaths that could have been prevented.”
“Now occurring everywhere”
The analysis also shows that no region of the country, except for Hawaii, is immune from the COVID crisis ravaging nursing homes. While in previous analyses, national trends have been largely driven by a series of intense regional outbreaks, the new analysis shows that the virus is now out of control in almost every state.
“We saw outbreaks in the Northeast in the early stages of the pandemic, then across the Sunbelt over summer, then more recently in the Midwest,” says AARP’s Ari Houser, a senior methods adviser and coauthor of the new analysis. “But the new data shows severe impacts are now occurring everywhere.”
Since the four-week reporting period ending Sept. 20, the rate of new resident cases has increased in every state except Hawaii and Florida, while the rate of resident deaths has increased in every state except Hawaii, Florida and South Carolina. It is notable that Florida and South Carolina were experiencing surges in August and September, but while they managed to ease off in early fall, both deaths and cases have risen in the latest reporting period.
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