Diane Bernard
Coronavirus vaccinations are finally being given in Virginia, as nursing-home deaths from the virus reached record highs and staff shortages continue to climb.
The AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard shows cracks in the long-term care system.
David DeBiasi, advocacy director for AARP Virginia, said since the pandemic began, nursing homes account for 32% of all COVID-19 deaths in Virginia, but represent only about 3% of total cases.
Even before the Thanksgiving surge in cases, he noted nursing-home deaths from mid-October to mid-November were almost one per 100 Virginia residents, the highest rate since the federal government began collecting information.
“We need to advance a transformation and modernization of the nation’s long-term care system,” DeBiasi argued. “We’re trying to call attention to it through this dashboard that we just released. Our analysis shows that we’re in trouble.”
As of mid-November, more than 100,000 nursing-home residents and staff nationwide have died from the virus; about 40% of all fatalities.
DeBiasi noted the dashboard data is from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
It shows another alarming statistic: More than 15% of long-term care facilities in Virginia report not having adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), like gloves, gowns and masks.
The new tool is part of a series of AARP reports on revamping the nation’s long-term care system.
“We want to urge our state leaders to take action to save lives,” DeBiasi explained. “We know that federal policymakers have been slow to respond to the crisis. No state has done a good enough job. And hopefully, with this data, families will have the information that they need to make decisions, and policymakers can be held accountable.”
As of Sunday, Congress is close to finalizing a deal on COVID relief aid, which is expected to include more funding for nursing home PPE and staffing.
(Virginia News Connection)
