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

An in-home nurse cares for a patient while she continues to recover from Covid-19 at her home on May 6, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by AFP)

At least 54,000 residents and workers have lost their lives due to the new coronavirus pandemic at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for the elderly in the United States, according to a report.

The report by the New York Times said the number accounted for 43 percent of the deaths linked to nursing homes populations as they are at a high risk of being infected by and dying from the flu-like pathogen, known to be particularly lethal to adults in their 60s with underlying health conditions.

As of June 26, the virus has infected more than 282,000 people at some 12,000 facilities, according to the Times database.

“While 11 percent of the country’s cases have occurred in long-term care facilities, deaths related to Covid-19 in these facilities account for more than 43 percent of the country’s pandemic fatalities,” the report underlined.

“The share of deaths linked to long-term care facilities for older adults is even starker at the state level. In 24 states, the number of residents and workers who have died accounts for either half or more than half of all deaths from the virus,” it added.

The numbers in database were germane to the latest fatalities in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, memory care facilities, retirement and senior communities and rehabilitation facilities.

The United States has reported some 2,510,151 infections — the world’s heaviest caseload — and an increase of more than 44,000 cases from its previous count on Saturday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The US death toll has reached more than 125,539.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, has said the real number could be ten times higher than the reported figure.

According to the latest estimate by CDC officials, at least 20 million people in the US may already have been infected with the COVID-19.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has come under fire from medical experts, Democrats and the public for downplaying the deadly virus and mishandling the epidemiological crisis.

Trump’s disapproval rating has soared to 40 percent — an all-time high in a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, the latest sign that Americans’ dissatisfaction with his handling of multiple national crises is mounting.


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