The Wall Street Journal is reporting that over 2,100 nursing homes and other senior facilities have been hit by the virus, with over 2,300 residents left dead.

In total, at least 15,473 coronavirus cases have been reported across the sector, according to data collected from 37 states that responded to requests from the paper, which contacted the health departments for all 50 states.

A separate NBC story from last Friday put the number of homes with an outbreak at nearly 2,500, while another Associated Press tally put the nursing home death toll at least 3,600.

The figures are a massive increase on the Government’s last numbers released on 30 March that revealed more than 400 nursing homes had been struck by COVID-19.

Still, the final tally could be higher because 13 states did not respond to the NBC or the Journal’s call for information – including Florida, which is commonly considered the US’ retirement capital.

As we have reported, nursing homes in the US have struggled to contain the virus when outbreaks have occurred with limited access to testing and PPE.

In New York – which has been one of the states hardest hit by the virus – The New York Times says as of Friday, more than half of the state’s 613 licensed nursing homes had reported coronavirus infections, with 4,630 total positive cases and 1,439 deaths.

Spare rooms or refrigerator trucks are being used as temporary morgues at some nursing homes.

Operators are – understandably – calling for more help.

 “The story is not about whether there’s COVID-19 in the nursing homes,” Scott LaRue, the chief executive of New York nursing home chain ArchCare which has five homes, told the Times. “The story is, why aren’t they being treated with the same respect and the same resources that everyone else out there is? It’s ridiculous.”