Bad news….and worse news
More than 40,000 residents of long-term care facilities have died from Covid-19 so far, according to numbers released by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That’s a full 40% of all Covid-19 deaths.
That’s the bad news, but it gets worse. The number of deaths in nursing homes and assisted living facilities from this virus are under-reported. That doesn’t count residents suffering from this who are transported to hospitals and later die. Florida has reported 1,040 Covid-19 deaths in long term care facilities, and this number is seriously under-reported.
Florida’s Governor DeSantos is considering legislation protecting—yes, PROTECTING—nursing homes from liability for Covid-19 deaths. This would do nothing but allow nursing homeowners and managers to continue their non-existent infection control policies at the expense of Florida’s elderly.
Florida is home to a disproportionate number of the nation’s elderly due to the great climate. We all need to do everything we can to keep them protected.
