Nearly One-Third of U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Are Linked to Nursing Homes
By The New York Times
As of June 1, 2021, this page is no longer being updated with the latest data. Please visit the U.S. coronavirus page to get the latest information about cases and deaths at the county level.
184,000+
1,383,000+
At least 184,000 coronavirus deaths have been reported among residents and employees of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults in the United States, according to a New York Times database. As of June 1, the virus has infected more than 1,383,000 people at some 32,000 facilities.
Nursing home populations are at a high risk of being infected by — and dying from — the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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. And it can spread more easily through congregate facilities, where many people live in a confined environment and workers move from room to room.
While 4 percent of the country’s cases have occurred in long-term care facilities, deaths related to Covid-19 in these facilities account for about 31 percent of the country’s pandemic fatalities. Deaths in long-term care facilities accounted for more than a third of all Covid-19 deaths in the United States for much of the pandemic — at one point, rising to about 43 percent of all coronavirus deaths — but this number has declined since the vaccination rollout began.
In 5 states, at least half of deaths are linked to nursing homes.
Cases and deaths in long-term care facilities, by state
Facilities | Cases | Deaths | Share of Covid‑19 Deaths ▼ | |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 32,000 | 1,383,000 | 184,000 | 31% |
New Hampshire | 86 | 6,482 | 899 | 66% |
Rhode Island | 134 | 6,895 | 1,665 | 61% |
Minnesota | 892 | 23,706 | 4,434 | 59% |
North Dakota | 170 | 9,118 | 900 | 58% |
Connecticut | 347 | 22,693 | 4,361 | 53% |
Massachusetts | 645 | 35,325 | 8,926 | 50% |
Pennsylvania | 1,591 | 87,087 | 13,270 | 49% |
Oregon | 436 | 11,854 | 1,255 | 46% |
Washington | 2,219 | 20,406 | 2,688 | 46% |
Maine | 121 | 4,578 | 380 | 46% |
The share of deaths linked to long-term care facilities for older adults is even starker at the state level. In 5 states, the number of residents and workers who have died accounts for either half or more than half of all deaths from the virus.
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 — at facilities with reliable data is 10 percent, significantly higher than the 2 percent case fatality rate nationwide.
Facility fatality rates are much higher than the national average
Number of long-term care facilities by case fatality rate
In the absence of comprehensive data from some states and the federal government, The Times has been assembling its own database of coronavirus cases and deaths at long-term care facilities for older adults. These include nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, memory care facilities, retirement and senior communities and rehabilitation facilities. Some states, including Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey and South Carolina, regularly release cumulative data on cases and deaths at specific facilities. Some provide some details on the number of cases at specific facilities — but not on deaths. And in New York, where Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration was accused of covering up thousands of nursing home deaths, state officials do not include staff cases or deaths in their reports. Other states report aggregate totals for their states but provide no information on where the infections or deaths have occurred. Some report very little or nothing at all.
The map and table below showing coronavirus cases at individual nursing homes were last updated as recently as Jan. 12, 2021.
There are at least 32,000 long-term care facilities with one or more coronavirus case
The Times’s numbers are based on official confirmations from states, counties and the facilities themselves, as well as some data provided by the federal government. They include residents and, in cases in which reporting is available, employees of the facilities. Given the wide variability in the type of information available, the totals shown here almost certainly represent an undercount of the true toll.
The New York Times is tracking the coronavirus at nursing homes and long-term care centers. Do you or a family member live or work in one of these facilities? If so, we would like to hear from you.
Here is a list of cases and deaths at long-term care facilities that have had at least 50 cases.
Cases and deaths, by facility
Name | Location | Cases | Deaths ▼ |
---|---|---|---|
Harris Hill Nursing Facility, LLC | Williamsville, N.Y. | 107 | 107 |
North Ridge Health and Rehab | New Hope, Minn. | 541 | 99 |
Fair Acres Geriatric Center | Lima, Pa. | 473 | 96 |
Hebrew Home of Greater Washington | Rockville, Md. | 539 | 83 |
Paramus Veterans Memorial Home | Paramus, N.J. | 292 | 82 |
Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care & Rehabilitation | New York, N.Y. | 81 | 81 |
Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation | Allentown, Pa. | 401 | 81 |
Long Island State Veterans Home | Stony Brook, N.Y. | 77 | 77 |
Conestoga View Nursing and Rehabilitation | Lancaster, Pa. | 345 | 77 |
Father Baker Manor nursing home | Orchard Park, N.Y. | 74 | 74 |
Soldiers Home in Holyoke veterans center and hospital | Holyoke, Mass. | 161 | 74 |
Brighton Rehabilitation & Wellness Center | Beaver, Pa. | 496 | 73 |
Courtyard Nursing Care Center | Medford, Mass. | 72 | 72 |
The Plaza Rehab and Nursing Center | New York, N.Y. | 71 | 71 |
Hialeah Nursing and Rehabiliation Center | Hialeah, Fla. | 136 | 71 |
Tracking the Coronavirus
An earlier version of this article misstated the formula for case fatality rate. It is the number of deaths divided by the number of cases, not the number of cases divided by the number of deaths.
An earlier version of this article transposed the national case fatality rate and the median case fatality rate in nursing homes. As of July 8, the national case fatality rate was 4 percent and the median case fatality rate in nursing homes was 17 percent, not the other way around.