The latest state numbers continue to show that about half of COVID-19 deaths in California are happening within long-term care homes.
Skilled nursing facilities alone have reported more than 800 positive cases of coronavirus in the past week across the state, according to data released by the California Department of Public Health on Wednesday.
Deaths of both residents and workers in long-term care now total nearly 2,000 people — out of the 3,884 Californians who have died from COVID-19 so far.
The latest federal guidelines say that homes can allow visitors again when all workers and residents test negative for the virus for a period of four weeks.
It’s not clear who would pay for all that testing: industry estimates put the cost of frequent COVID-19 testing in nursing homes at $1.8 billion a year, just in California. Federal and state lawmakers have allocated some money for nursing home tests, but nothing yet for the state’s assisted living facilities.
— Molly Peterson (@mollydacious)