Coronavirus Latest: Around Half Of Maryland's COVID-19 Deaths Have Happened At Nursing Homes, Data Shows
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The state health department has released more detailed information about the number of coronavirus cases and deaths at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The data shows just over half of the state's COVID-19 deaths and more than one in five of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state have been at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and correctional facilities.
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The highest number of cases at a nursing home is 220 at FutureCare In Lochearn. The highest number of deaths at a nursing home is 33 at Sagepoint Nursing and Rehabilitation in La Plata.
The 220 cases at FutureCare in Lochearn contribute to the high number in northwest Baltimore's 21215 zip code, which has the fifth-most confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state at 343.
With nursing homes hit hard by COVID-19, Jennifer Holmes is worried about her 85-year-old grandmother Jannette Johnson. Johnson, a resident of FutureCare Cherrywood in Reisterstown, was recently diagnosed with the virus.
"When I spoke to her yesterday, she was not feeling well," Holmes said.
She recounted learning about the diagnosis through a phone call on Sunday.
"I was a little panicked when I answered the phone," she said. "They let me know it wasn't an emergency and explained to me that they had gone through and done a mass testing and that my grandmother had tested positive."
Holmes said she has had difficulty getting more information.
"Just getting any answers is not easy. We need to know especially in nursing homes where you're dealing with the elderly, and that's affecting them far more than it is younger people. It's important to know what's going on," she said. "My grandmother is 85 and she has underlying conditions. This is not good."
The 471 fatalities reported statewide in Maryland's nursing homes and long-term care facilities are more than half of the state's total.
Other states have been providing detailed information on nursing homes for weeks.
Baltimore City is also releasing nursing home case numbers. There are 291 infections and 23 deaths. The data is part of an expanded set of information on Baltimore's website.
Maryland has created "strike teams" of medical professionals to respond to troubled nursing homes. These teams have been called in to help at Sagepoint, Pleasant View and FutureCare Lochearn.
There have also been 49 confirmed cases at the Prince George's County Jail, where inmates have sued the county over its response to the virus. The county has sought to have the lawsuit thrown out.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
