More Than 1,300 Nursing Homes Had COVID Infection Rates of at Least 75% in 2020: HHS

By Joseph Choi

An Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report found that "[n]ursing homes had a surge of COVID-19 cases during the spring of 2020 and a greater surge during the fall, well after they were known to be vulnerable. More than 1,300 nursing homes had extremely high infection rates — 75% or more of their Medicare beneficiaries — during these surges." Overall mortality rose in facilities that saw extremely high rates of infection. The study also found urban nursing homes were more likely to have higher numbers of cases during the first COVID-19 infection surge than rural ones, while the rate comparison was reversed during the second surge. Additionally, the OIG reported that a "disproportionate" number of facilities with high infection rates during both surges were for-profit nursing homes.

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