A shocking 612,596 people have died from COVID-19 in the US yet a new study shows more than 50% of retirement facilities across the country have to date experienced no fatality.
The study by research unit NORC at the University of Chicago showed the extent to which COVID-19 impacted on the retirement sector.
Two-thirds of independent living communities studied reported no deaths from COVID-19 last year, and residents in these communities were as safe as seniors living in non-congregate settings, yet aged care homes were badly hit.
NORC analysed data from independent living, assisted living, memory care and aged care facilities in 113 counties across the states of Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and Pennsylvania.
The analysis revealed 51% of communities studied reported no deaths resulting from COVID-19 in 2020 with the mortality rate of residents in independent living properties no different than the general community.
The adjusted mortality rate for assisted living facilities, meanwhile, was 19.3 deaths per 1,000 people, compared to 59.6 deaths per 1,000 in aged care settings.
COVID-19 cases reported to the World Health Organization have declined for the sixth successive week and the total numbers of death have fallen for the fifth successive week. However, the number of deaths is increasing in Africa, the Americas and the Western Pacific.
"Globally, we continue to see encouraging signs in the trajectory of the pandemic. The number of new cases of #COVID19 reported to WHO has now declined for 6 weeks, and deaths have declined for 5 weeks"-@DrTedros
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 7, 2021
