MD Coronavirus Data For Nursing Homes To Be Released: Governor

MARYLAND — Data regarding the new coronavirus at nursing homes and assisted living facilities will be released starting this week, according to Gov. Larry Hogan.

Case counts and fatalities associated with individual facilities will be published on the Maryland Department of Health's coronavirus website, Hogan said.

Older adults who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which reported earlier in April that 80 percent of fatalities in the United States from coronavirus were people over age 65.

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Of the 858 Marylanders who have died from COVID-19 as of Monday morning, state health officials say 555 were at least 70 years old or greater. However, it has been unclear how many of the deaths have been linked to residents of nursing homes, where the deputy health secretary has said one case can be considered an outbreak because of the nature of living arrangements.

"As we plan our recovery, we are taking additional steps to protect our most vulnerable citizens, including older Marylanders," Hogan said in a statement Monday.

On April 5, the governor ordered personnel at nursing homes in Maryland to wear personal protective equipment, among other measures, in an executive order that said more than 60 nursing homes across the state had reported cases of COVID-19.

Hogan created strike teams to help nursing homes address testing, triage and infection control April 7 after a deadly outbreak at a nursing home in Mount Airy at the end of March. Since then there have been several other outbreaks that have not been tracked in a centralized, public place. According to WTOP, state officials cited privacy concerns in not publishing the data.

"Keeping Marylanders informed and being transparent with the facts continues to be at the heart of our response to COVID-19," Hogan said. "We are grateful to the staff in our nursing homes working around the clock to save lives."

Visits have been restricted at Maryland long-term care and retirement communities to prevent the spread of coronavirus since March 10, by order of the governor, to avoid a fatal outbreak like the one in Washington state.

Related:

• Visits Limited At MD Long-Term Care Facilities Over Coronavirus
• Hogan Imposes Stricter Coronavirus Protocols On MD Nursing Homes
• 10 Nursing Homes In Montgomery County Battle Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Outbreak At Lochearn Nursing Home Reported
• Baltimore Coronavirus: 3 Deaths; Nursing Home Cases Probed
• Forest Hill Coronavirus Outbreak: 1 Dead, Several Infected
• Telephone Wellness Check Available To MD Seniors: Coronavirus