More than 40 percent of coronavirus deaths in the US are linked to nursing homes, according to data analyzed by the New York Times.
At least 54,000 of the more than 125,500 confirmed coronavirus deaths in the US are residents and workers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for the elderly, the newspaper found.
The vulnerability of nursing homes was evident early in the pandemic, as older people are among the high-risk population determined by public health officials, and are therefore more susceptible to severe symptoms and even to death from the virus.
The virus is also easily spread from person-to-person contact, which is difficult to avoid in a nursing home where residents depend on staff and interact with other residents.
Times data found that in 24 states most coronavirus deaths are nursing home related. In Minnesota, New York, and New Hampshire, more than 70 percent of coronavirus-related deaths are nursing home-related.
The analysis also found that the nursing home death rate is 17 percent, compared to the overall death rate of 5 percent.
More than 10 percent of all coronavirus cases in the US are also linked to nursing homes. Of the more than 2.5 million cases in the U.S., 282,000 are residents and workers in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to Times data.
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