The coronavirus has killed more than 163,000 residents and employees in long-term care facilities since the outset of the pandemic in America—but the situation is starting to look much, much better. According to an analysis by The New York Times, the number of new cases recorded among nursing-home residents has hit the floor. A decline of more than 80 percent was recorded from late December to early February as long-term care facilities were given priority access to the vaccines. An equally encouraging plunge in fatalities was also recorded, with deaths inside the facilities tumbling by more than 65 percent—even as COVID-19 deaths across the country hit records over the winter. “I’m almost at a loss for words at how amazing it is and how exciting,” David Gifford, the chief medical officer for the American Health Care Association, told the Times. “If we are seeing a robust response with this vaccine with the elderly with a highly contagious disease... I think that’s a great sign for the rest of the population.”
