For a second straight month, COVID-19 infections and deaths are increasing among Louisianans living in nursing homes. Two deaths were reported for the month of May 2022, but that number jumped to seven for June. That’s according to the AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard.
Andrew Muhl is Policy Director for AARP Louisiana and says the elderly are more at risk from COVID than anyone.
“So right now it’s critically important that individuals are still getting vaccinated and people out there are being safe, especially if you have loved ones in a nursing home,” said Muhl.
Nursing home resident COVIDs cases are up 27-percent nationwide. Cases among nursing home staffs are up 42-percent. Currently in Louisiana, just over 650 seniors in nursing homes are suffering COVID symptoms.
Muhl says many nursing home residents COULD be catching the virus from the people who work at the facility and take care of them and they are not vaccinated.
“Those numbers are still too low, so we are imploring individuals to get vaccinated and to be cognizant of the face the virus is still out there,” said Muhl.
Since the pandemic began, 3,292 Louisiana nursing home residents have died from COVID-19.
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