More than 68,000 COVID-19 cases in nursing homes went UNREPORTED in federal data

More than 68,000 COVID-19 cases in nursing homes went UNREPORTED in federal data
More than 68,000 COVID-19 cases in nursing homes went UNREPORTED in federal data

More than 68,000 COVID-19 cases and 16,000 deaths among nursing home residents are unaccounted for in federal data, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Harvard University compared federal data to local data for 20 states with comprehensive information on Covid in nursing homes going back to the beginning of the pandemic - before facilities were required to report to the federal government.

They found that, on average, 44 percent of cases and 40 percent of deaths counted by the states before late May 2020 were not included in federal data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This suggests that 'the true toll of COVID-19 on nursing home residents may never be known,' a scientist who wasn't involved with the research commented.

More than 68,000 Covid cases and 16,000 deaths are unaccounted for in federal data, a new study suggests. Pictured: A pharmacist administers a Covid vaccine to a resident of the Brooklyn Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in New York City, January 2021

More than 68,000 Covid cases and 16,000 deaths are unaccounted for in federal data, a new study suggests. Pictured: A pharmacist administers a Covid vaccine to a resident of the Brooklyn Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in New York City, January 2021

Many of the unreported cases and deaths occurred in the early months of the pandemic, before nursing homes were required to report their Covid data to the CDC. Pictured: Light blue indicates cases and deaths reported to the federal government and dark blue indicates how much higher the bars should be

Many of the unreported cases and deaths occurred in the early months of the pandemic, before nursing homes were required to report their Covid data to the CDC. Pictured: Light blue indicates cases and deaths reported to the federal government and dark blue indicates how much higher the bars should be 

The first major Covid outbreak in the U.S. occurred at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, in late February 2020.

More than 120 people got sick in this outbreak, according to a CDC investigation - including 81 residents, 34 staff, and 14 visitors.

The outbreak foreshadowed the outsized impact that the pandemic would have on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Almost one in ten nursing home residents died of Covid during the first year of the pandemic, according to estimates from the COVID Tracking Project.

While the known death toll is catastrophic, a new study suggests that federal data gravely underestimates how many nursing home residents got sick or died. 

This investigation by researchers at Harvard University was published Thursday in JAMA Network Open.

The researchers compared nursing home data from the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to data from 20 state health departments.

Although Covid began impacting U.S. nursing homes in February, the federal government did not require these facilities to report their Covid cases and deaths until late May 2020, the researchers said.

Facilities also weren't required to retrospectively report cases and deaths that occurred early in the pandemic.

For example, the Kirkland, Washington nursing home reported zero cases to the CDC in May 2020 - even though it had been the site of a large outbreak.

Some states, on the other hand - including all 20 state public health departments whose data the Harvard researchers utilized - required nursing homes to report all cases and deaths, going back to the beginning of the pandemic.

The researchers noted that state data

read more from dailymail.....

PREV Why the next pandemic threat might come from HUMANS: Mankind passes twice as ... trends now
NEXT Health service initiative offers patients a chance to see a GP on the same day ... trends now