41% of Georgia’s Covid-19 death tally is from nursing homes. “Nursing homes have been ground zero for Covid-19,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma–walb.com, 4/24/20

“Nursing homes have been ground zero for COVID-19,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.”…Nursing homes will soon be required to report their COVID-19 cases directly to CDC.

Image: Seema Verma, hhs.gov 

4/24/20, “Reports: 40% of Georgia’s COVID-19 deaths were residents in long-term care facilities," walb.com, Emileigh Forrester, Albany, Georgia 

“Four in 10 Georgians who have died due to COVID-19 have died in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, according to data from the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH)…. 

DCH reported 358 deaths of residents in Georgia long-term care facilities as of 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, which represents 40.62 percent of the total COVID-19 deaths in Georgia, which stood at 881 Thursday at 7 p.m., according to DPH. [As of May 3, Georgia total is 1174] 

Health officials said they are trying to test as many people as possible in these facilities, including those without symptoms, all in hopes of keeping the virus from spreading even more among such a vulnerable part of the population…. 

DCH’s long-term care facility report Thursday night showed that at least 15 long-term care facilities in Southwest Georgia have had more than 10 residents test positive for COVID-19…. 

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced Sunday that nursing homes will soon be required to inform residents, their families and their representatives about COVID-19 cases in their facilities. 

CMS will also soon require that nursing homes report their COVID-19 cases directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

“Nursing homes have been ground zero for COVID-19,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. “Nursing home reporting to the CDC is a critical component of the go-forward national COVID-19 surveillance system and to efforts to reopen America.”






...................