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The Culling
The Culling
How COVID-19 was able to kill our most vulnerable in Long-Term Care Facilities
As of August 12, 2021, more than 130,000 people have died from COVID-19 in U.S. Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs — which include Nursing Homes, Assisted Care Living Centers, Hospices, etc. — per reporting from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services[1]). At one point, with 1.7 million beds in LTCFs, the death rate was 7.8%, compared to the overall U.S. population death rate of .18%. That is 43 times higher in an LTCF than in the general public.[2] Age is certainly a key factor — an early in the pandemic 2020 study showed that death rates were 62% higher worldwide for people over 65, as compared to those 54 years or younger.[3] The U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, through its research into its beneficiaries, found that the highest percentage band of deaths from COVID-19 were found in people admitted to the hospital from nursing homes who were 85 years or older (53%).
All of these LTCFs have a custodial duty of care — and are all licensed and monitored by the states where they are located — the staff is the only ones who can care for…
