Given that not all states are reporting data yet and the continual lag in testing, the counts of cases and deaths are an undercount of the true number of cases and deaths in long-term care facilities. The total cases and deaths from reporting states accounts for just over half (53%) of all cases, and 81% of all deaths. High case and death rates may be attributed to a number of factors, including high rates of testing within long-term care facilities and low rates of testing of the general public. In six states reporting data, deaths in long-term care facilities account for over 50% of all COVID-19 deaths (Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Utah Table 2). Our data also finds that there have been over 50,000 reported cases, accounting for 11% of coronavirus cases in 29 states.

Our data collection effort finds that in the 23 states that publicly report death data as of April 23, 2020, there have been over 10,000 reported deaths due to COVID-19 in long-term care facilities (including residents and staff), representing 27% of deaths due to COVID-19 in those states. In states reporting data in “congregate settings,” which could include locations such as jails and prisons, we removed reported cases and deaths in non-long-term care settings when possible. Definition of long-term care facility differs by state, but data reflects a combination of nursing facilities, residential care communities, adult care centers, intermediate care facilities, and/or other congregate settings. We include all available long-term care facility data reported by state, including cases among both residents and staff, where available. The one exception to this is Texas’ counts, which are official state numbers sent directly to reporters 3x/week. We use data reported directly by states (versus through news outlets) through either state COVID-19 reporting or state press releases. This data note provides data on long-term care facility cases and deaths by state (Table 1 and Table 2). This data is not yet available, but there are a number of states that are already reporting data on long-term care facilities. On April 19, 2020, CMS released guidance that would require nursing homes to report cases of coronavirus directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Until recently, however, there was no federal requirement for nursing homes to report coronavirus outbreaks and COVID-19 deaths, leading to an information gap for families, residents, and policymakers. CMS has released a series of guidelines targeted at reducing the impact of COVID-19 on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, including guidance related to visitor restrictions, infection control guidelines, and designating separate facilities for coronavirus positive patients and negative patients.

IntroductionĬOVID-19 has had a disproportionate effect on people who reside or work in long-term care facilities, including the 1.3 million individuals in nursing homes 800,000 in assisted living facilities 75,000 in intermediate care facilities and 3 million people who work in skilled nursing or residential care facilities. Note: More recent figures are available in the “Additional State-level Data” section of our state COVID-19 data and policy actions tracker.

Covid 19 cases by state