Report: Up to a third of Texas coronavirus-related deaths occurred in long-term facilities

FILE - In this April 2, 2020 file photo, vials with samples taken for the new coronavirus are seen before they are prepared for RNA testing at the molecular pathology lab at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Where political divides marred early recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Louisiana is showing rare political unity in the fight against the new coronavirus. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) (Gerald Herbert, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

As many as one third of every known coronavirus-related death in Texas occurred in a long-term care facility, like a nursing home or assisted living community, The Dallas Morning News reports.

At least one resident or staff member tested positive for the virus in 16 percent of the state’s 198 nursing homes. Fifty-two of the state’s 2,002 assisted care facilities confirmed infection, The News reported.

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Across the state, 70 people died of COVID-19 in nursing homes and 24 people died in assisted living facilities as of Monday.

Statewide, the number of deaths reached 287 on Monday. The actual percentage of Texas coronavirus deaths in long-term care facilities is probably higher, between 25 percent and 33 percent, health officials say, The News reports.

The discrepancy in numbers comes from the lag between when long-term care facilities report updates to the health commission and when statewide numbers are posted. — Stacy Fernández, Texas Tribune

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