Impact of COVID-19 On LTC

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

The Kaiser Foundation recently published an article on the impact of coronavirus on long-term care facilities over time. The data shows that long-term care facilities make up 8% of all coronavirus cases however more than 40% of all COVID-19 deaths. The analysis evaluated trends of long-term care cases and deaths between April and August 2020 to determine where and when the pandemic hit long-term care facilities the hardest, how the share of cases and deaths attributed to long-term care facilities has changed over time and whether states continue to report new cases and deaths in these facilities at the same rate now as they did back in April. A few key findings include:

  • Nationally, reported cumulative cases and deaths in long-term care facilities have increased over time from 10,000 deaths and 50,000 cases in mid-April to over 70,000 deaths and nearly 400,000 cases in mid-August. Trends in cases and deaths vary notably across states.
  • Nationally, the share of deaths attributed to LTC facilities has stayed relatively constant since May, but the share of cases attributed to LTC facilities has decreased over time.
  • Nationally, the number of new LTC cases and deaths peaked in April, decreased in May and June before rising in July, followed by a rise in new LTC deaths in August.

We are waging the war, making some progress, and unfortunately continuing to suffer many setbacks and losses. Stay the course, continue to do the right things for the right reasons and remember, HealthCap is here for you!

Stay well, stay safe and stay tuned!