Third Wave?

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Recent data released by John Hopkins and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) show that with the recent rise in new COVID cases in the general U.S. population, weekly nursing home cases rose in late September for the first time in seven weeks after new cases dropped significantly throughout August and early September.

According to John Hopkins, COVID cases in the general U.S. population rose by 62,139 cases per week in late September, correlating with an uptick in nursing home cases during the week of September 27, 2020. As experts have repeatedly noted, COVID-19 cases in the surrounding community are a top factor in outbreaks in nursing homes. David Grabowski, MD, professor of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, recently stated “the strongest predictor of whether or not we’ll see cases in a particular setting is community spread.”

In the October 20, 2020 Provider Long-Term and Post-Acute Care magazine (AHCA/NCAL), Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL stated that the “No. 1 factor in keeping COVID out of our nursing homes, so we can protect our vulnerable population, is reducing the level of the virus in the surrounding community.” Parkinson went on to say “without adequate funding and resources, the U.S. will repeat the same mistakes made during the initial outbreak last spring and the major spike over the summer. We need Congress to prioritize our vulnerable seniors and their caregivers in nursing homes and assisted living communities by passing another COVID funding package before they leave town for the elections.”

Stay well, stay safe and stay tuned!