After Declining, COVID-19 Cases Are Rising Again in U.S. Nursing Homes

A report from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said COVID-19 cases are rising at nursing communities due to spiking cases in the general population, according to CNN . The report cites figures from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicating that coronavirus cases rose to 8,628 for the week of July 19 from a low of 5,468 for the week of June 21. The increase in nursing community cases aligns with the ballooning number of infections among the general populace in late June and July, with Florida, Arizona, Texas, and California topping the list of states with the highest growth in infections in recent weeks. "Long-term care is . . . an indicator of what's happening in your community at large — meaning that as much as you try to bubble them from the virus in the community, it's a very vulnerable location, because you have people who work there going in and out, as well as family and friends of those who live there," said the University of Minnesota's Michael Osterholm. AHCA/NCAL is asking federal and state public health officials to take immediate action to protect nursing communities, especially in regions with significant spikes in new COVID-19 cases.