More Than a Thousand Nursing Homes Reached Infection Rates of 75 Percent or More in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic; Better Protections Are Needed for Future Emergencies, January 19, 2023, OEI-02-20-00491, https://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/OEI-02-20-00491.pdf
Key Findings of Study:
“Nursing homes had a surge of COVID-19 cases during the spring of 2020 and a greater surge during the fall, well after they were known to be vulnerable. More than 1,300 nursing homes had extremely high infection rates–75 percent or more–during these surges. For-profit nursing homes made up a disproportionate percentage of these homes. Nursing homes with extremely high infection rates experienced an average overall mortality rate approaching 20 percent–roughly double that of other nursing homes. High COVID-19 transmission in a county did not always lead to nursing home in that county reaching extremely high infection rates. Significant changes are needed to protect residents and better prepare for future health emergencies.”