The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic exceeds 130,000, as surging infection rates in the country overstretch hospitals. The U.S. is adding more than 50,000 new cases every day. Officials in states with surging coronavirus cases issued dire warnings and blamed outbreaks on reopenings as the weekly average for daily new cases in the United States reached a record high for the 27th straight day.
At least 60,000 residents and workers have died from the coronavirus at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults in the United States. The virus has infected more than 300,000 people at some 12,000 facilities. Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is known to be particularly lethal to adults in their 60s and older who have underlying health conditions. In 24 states, the number of residents and workers who have died accounts for either half or more than half of all deaths from the virus.
While 11 percent of America’s cases are in nursing homes, deaths account for more than 43 percent of fatalities.
Infected people linked to nursing homes also die at a higher rate than the general population. The median case fatality rate — the number of deaths divided by the number of cases — is 17 percent, significantly higher than the 5 percent case fatality rate nationwide.
Some states, including South Carolina, regularly release cumulative data on cases and deaths at specific facilities.
Trump continues to dismiss the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, downplaying the impact of the disease and saying “99 percent” of the positive cases were “totally harmless.” His flippant remarks about a virus that has already claimed 130,000 lives is shocking and perplexing.