Over the course of this historic pandemic — from pants-on-fire emergency to slow, steady simmer, from the very first virus to its nth mutation — there has been remarkable consistency in who gets sick and dies:
Older people.
That has remained stunningly steady, with folks over 65 years old accounting for roughly three-quarters of all deaths since the dawn of the pandemic. To wit: In 2020, older folks accounted for 75.4% of deaths. In 2021, they accounted for 73%. In 2022, 71%. And through the first half of this year, 72%.
This holds true as total COVID-19 deaths have dropped dramatically — largely thanks to immunity built up through vaccination and natural infection — and even in the face of a nearly total abandonment of safety precautions like masking, keeping a respectful distance and staying up to date on vaccinations.
Might more lives be spared if we were a bit more cautious?
“Although the number of open outbreak investigations across Los Angeles County is near an all-time low, skilled nursing facilities continue to experience a high proportion of outbreaks when compared to other sectors,” the LA Department of Public Health warned last week.
“Given the vulnerability of skilled nursing facility residents associated with advanced age and serious health conditions, preventing the spread of COVID-19 remains of paramount importance.”
But not everyone treats it that way.
Good enough?
Outbreaks at nursing home facilities in Orange County hit 31 in December. In June there were five. So far in July, there have been three.
“We appear to be in a steady state with no real meaningful increase detected in the recent months,” said Ellen Guevara, spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Outbreak investigations in L.A. County nursing homes reached an apex after Christmas 2021, with 94 in one week. Over the past several months, though, it hasn’t topped 10.
All good, but — fully half of open outbreak investigations are at skilled…
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