Most Nursing Communities Faced Multiple, Persistent Outbreaks of COVID-19 Among Residents and Staff, GAO Reports

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found most U.S. nursing communities had recurrent COVID-19 outbreaks during the pandemic, with about 94 percent experiencing multiple infection surges among residents or staff through January, according to Fierce Healthcare . Only 0.5 percent of a sample of 13,380 communities reported no COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One outbreak was reported among 761 homes (6 percent) while 5,943 (44 percent) disclosed four or more outbreaks over eight months, with communities averaging a collective three outbreaks per community. Moreover, the bulk of the nursing communities had great difficulty containing the outbreaks. GAO added that the longer outbreaks peaked during October, November, and December, and generally mirrored higher case numbers among communities. Communities with outbreaks lasting five weeks or more averaged 56 cases, whereas those reporting outbreaks shorter than five weeks averaged 13 cases per outbreak. The findings suggested that staffers were a common source of initial infection, with 8,720 communities (66 percent) reporting an outbreak started with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19.