Nursing Homes Linked to COVID-19 Deaths

As of May 27, 2020, 1.74 million Americans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of that group, more than 102,000 have died since the coronavirus outbreak.

According to a remarkable report from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, 43% of those fatalities have been residents of nursing homes or long-term care facilities. That statistic is even more staggering when compared to the number of people actually living in these facilities.

According to the report, only 0.62% of the American public resides in a nursing home or long term care facility – meaning that nearly half of COVID-19-related deaths come from less than 1% of the population.

Half of the COVID-19 Deaths in Illinois Involve Nursing Homes

In Illinois, approximately 50% of COVID-19 deaths are from vulnerable populations living in these facilities. In response to the expansive outbreaks of nursing home COVID victims in Illinois, Governor Pritzker has ordered nursing homes and long-term care facilities to remain closed to any visitors even as the rest of the state enters Phase 3 of the pandemic response on Friday.

As Governor Pritzker warned in his press conference on Thursday, the unfortunate reality is that nursing homes and long-term care facilities will be among the last facilities to return to normal visitation operations.

First, these facilities are dealing with the obviously vulnerable populations and two, visitors – even asymptomatic ones – can be carriers of the virus without even realizing it. In that type of setting, one case can quickly escalate into an outbreak if proper measures are not taken.

Under Governor Pritzker’s executive order granting protections to many healthcare and nursing home facilities, residents who contract COVID-19 at such a facility must show gross negligence or willful misconduct to hold the facilities accountable.

Was your loved one affected by COVID-19 in an Illinois nursing home? We’re here to help.

If you have a loved one that has contracted COVID-19 as a resident in a nursing home or long-term care facility, it is worth investigating whether the facility failed to meet the standard of care in protecting their residents.

When we review and investigate a case, there is no cost to you; there is absolutely no downside to contacting us. Call us at (312) 78-9501 if you have any questions about any potential COVID-related claim.