The new coronavirus is racing through America's nursing homes, and the impact has been far greater than the federal government has said.
At least 2,300 long-term care facilities in 37 states have reported positive cases of COVID-19, according to data USA TODAY obtained from state agencies. More than 3,000 residents have died.
The numbers eclipse those previously disclosed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which in late March estimated that 400 facilities had reported cases of the virus. But the new totals still represent an incomplete accounting due to the ongoing lack of widespread testing for the virus and inconsistent record-keeping from state to state. On the federal level, neither the CDC nor the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is tracking the number of U.S. nursing homes with COVID-19 cases, or the number of total cases and fatalities in those facilities.
In an effort to come up with a more accurate tally of how COVID-19 is affecting nursing homes and its staff and residents, USA TODAY requested that data from all 50 states. Six states did not respond, including Florida, a retirement haven. Another six states said they were compiling numbers but declined to provide some or all of them. Thirteen states could only provide partial data, citing various reasons including that they were not tracking deaths specifically in nursing homes or couldn’t separate staff and residents who have tested positive.
We want to hear from you: What's happening in your nursing home?
Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center photographed on Monday, March 30, 2020, in Beaver, Pa.
ANDREW RUSH, AP
The fact that so many states and the federal government are failing to track how COVID-19 is affecting a population known to be especially vulnerable to the virus is a problem, according to experts who said collecting data specific to nursing homes is vital for officials to navigate the current crisis, and for mitigating future outbreaks.
"The ultimate risk is potentially more infections and more deaths," said Kelly Reynolds, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona who has studied infection control in health facilities.
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