About 20 percent of all nursing homes in the U.S. faced staffing shortages in December, which likely contributed to COVID-19 outbreaks at facilities, CBS News reported Feb. 1.
The news outlet cited a Jan. 28 report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an independent consumer interest organization, that found many long-term care facilities were short on nursing aids, physicians and other healthcare personnel. The shortages essentially created a domino effect, the report explained.
"Not only are the shortages a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say, but in a circular nightmare, the staff shortages also fueled more COVID outbreaks in nursing homes among residents and staff," the group said, adding that when facility staff contracted COVID-19 and were absent, remaining staff were taxed with more work and had to come into contact with a greater number of residents.
The report calculated shortages on a number of nursing home staff and found that 18.5 percent of U.S. facilities were experiencing a shortage of nurses, for example, in December.
At the same time, the report found higher staffing levels prevented deaths.
The report calls for more COVID-19 funding to be allocated to nursing homes to allow for the hiring of more staff and higher wages.
While long-term care facility residents make up less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 36 percent of all COVID-19 related deaths as of Jan. 28, according to data from The Atlantic's COVID-19 Tracking Project.
To view the full report, click here.