Over 99% of US nursing homes had COVID-19 outbreaks: Agency

A US government watchdog says over 99% nursing homes throughout the country were hit by COVID-19 outbreaks, with many having four or more outbreaks over an eight-month period.

The health care director at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said, "More than 99 percent of nursing homes have had COVID outbreaks from May 2020 through January 2021."

"COVID-19 has been really devastating in nursing homes, and accounting for more than 30 percent of deaths from COVID-19 reported to [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]," John Dicken pointed out.

The agency also found 44 percent had experienced four or more outbreaks during the pandemic, according to data from 13,380 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes.

The GAO said about 94 percent of the nursing homes across the United States had more than one outbreak, and across the board they averaged about three outbreaks.

At 85 percent of the nursing homes reviewed, the outbreaks lasted five weeks or longer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines an outbreak as starting with the first reported case and ending after two weeks with no new cases.

"Certainly, larger nursing homes are more likely to have long-duration outbreaks, in part because they are inherently at higher risk of having at least one case, and then more residents that can continue that outbreak for an extended period of time," Dicken said.

More than 584,000 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, according to the CDC, but cases and hospitalizations have been dropping as more people get vaccinated.

The US nursing home crisis landed some governors and local leaders, including New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in hot water.

Cuomo acknowledges withholding New York nursing home pandemic death toll from lawmakers, public

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has acknowledged he withheld data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths from state lawmakers.

Cuomo came under fire after he ordered nursing homes to accept patients with COVID-19 because hospitals were running out of capacity.

Reports said more than 9,000 patients were released into US nursing homes under Cuomo’s controversial directive — significantly more than the state had initially reported.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer faced backlash over a similar order issued last spring that required nursing homes to create a dedicated unit to isolate residents with COVID-19.

Dicken said nursing home residents were a population particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

"The communal living aspect of it is really a key aspect of the pandemic, but nursing homes have been particularly vulnerable for a couple of other reasons," he said. "One is just a very vulnerable population, with the elderly more at risk for being infected or having serious effects from COVID.”

"And many US nursing home residents also have other conditions, such as heart disease or respiratory problems, that can place them at higher risk for negative outcomes from COVID," the health care director at the US Government Accountability Office added.

43% of US coronavirus fatalities linked to nursing homes: Report

At least 54,000 residents and workers have lost their lives due to the new coronavirus pandemic at nursing homes, the New York Times says.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk