Nursing home patients are vulnerable in so many ways, and residents of skilled nursing facilities suffer injuries much too often as a result of nursing home abuse and neglect. In some cases, avoidable nursing home injuries and deaths result from the facility’s negligence when it comes to infection-control methods.
This issue has grown particularly relevant over the last month as the novel coronavirus has caused hundreds of thousands of infections across the country, and tens of thousands of deaths. According to a recent report from NBC News, the number of coronavirus deaths at nursing homes in the U.S. recently topped 5,500, underscoring the vulnerability of nursing home residents to COVID-19.
Nursing Home Deaths Doubled at Startling Rate
The coronavirus is sweeping through America’s nursing homes and infecting many older adults with COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. The rate of deaths from the virus has grown significantly over the last week. According to the NBC News report, from the second to the third week of April, COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities more than doubled.
As of April 15, a total of 5,670 people in nursing homes had died from the virus, and that figure did not include other fatalities that have yet to be counted. Just two days later on April 17, an article in The New York Times reported that more than 7,000 people died in nursing homes from COVID-19.
In some states, about 2% of the total nursing home population has died from the coronavirus. At least 39 states in the U.S. have confirmed coronavirus infections in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and many of those states have reported deaths in the facilities.
Given that testing is still difficult in many states, it is possible that many more nursing home residents have died as a result of contracting the virus but have not been properly identified as victims of the pandemic.
Nursing Homes Have a Duty to Residents
Nursing homes have a duty to implement infection-control policies to prevent nursing home residents from contracting preventable infections. When nursing homes do not take necessary precautions and residents suffer harm, those nursing homes may be responsible for injuries caused by nursing home negligence.
Whether you have an elderly loved one in a Cleveland nursing home or in a facility elsewhere, you should speak with an attorney if you have concerns about coronavirus infection.
Contact Me to File a Nursing Home Neglect Claim
Nursing homes have a duty to take measures to prevent infections and to keep residents safe. Yet as the article I just discussed underscores, many patients at nursing homes in Ohio and across the country are at great risk of contracting COVID-19 as a result of poor infection-control practices. Given the age and health conditions of nursing home residents, many of those older adults are at serious risk of dying from COVID-19 as so many already have.
If you have an elderly loved one in a nursing home and have concerns about the facility’s health and safety practices, you may be able to file a nursing home negligence claim. Call me today at 877.944.4373 to discuss your case. I’ll Make Them Pay!®