Almost half of US COVID-19 deaths are linked to nursing homes

Nursing homes are tied to nearly half of the 124,000 fatalities from the coronavirus in the US, according to a troubling new analysis of data from 12,000 senior facilities.

Eleven percent of people killed by the virus died in nursing homes or long-term-care centers, but the facilities are linked to many more COVID-19 fatalities — more than 54,000, or 43 percent of the national toll when accounting for workers who contracted the disease at the facilities, according to a New York Times database.

In at least 24 states, the majority of deaths were nursing-home-related. New Hampshire recorded the largest percentage of nursing-home COVID-19 deaths, with 80 percent, or 293, of the state’s fatalities coming from the facilities. Rhode Island and Minnesota followed, each with 77 percent, according to the database, which includes stats from the facilities, along with local, state and federal governments.

The data also show the death rate is a staggering 17 percent among infected nursing-home patients, compared with 5 percent nationwide.

The numbers are less clear in New York, because the state does not require the facilities to report the number of positive cases, so it’s not possible to determine the death rate among residents, according to the Times.

New York has recorded 6,250 COVID-19-related nursing-home deaths, but a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has said that number might be much higher.

“I don’t know if we’ve gotten a full and correct accounting of how many people died of COVID-19 in nursing homes and how many nursing residents transferred to hospitals died of COVID,” state Senate ­Finance Committee Chairwoman Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) told The Post.

The state Department of Health issued a directive in March mandating that nursing homes could not refuse to take in recovering coronavirus patients coming from hospitals. The policy was partially repealed in May, and House Republicans last week urged state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate.

About 50 people, many of whom lost relatives to COVID-19 at nursing homes or rehab centers, demonstrated outside Gov. Cuomo’s Manhattan office Saturday over the March order and other “policy failures,” according to a Newsday report.

Cuomo has defended the order, saying it was aligned with federal guidance.

His office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday.

The number of new coronavirus cases in New York state continued to fall Saturday, with 703 people, or 0.96 percent of those tested, found positive for infection. There were 13 deaths reported, pushing the statewide total to nearly 25,000.

But a worrisome COVID-19 cluster has developed in Westchester, Cuomo said.

A teen vacationing in Florida brought the virus back home, infecting at least four others who attended a high-school graduation ceremony, state officials said.

The unidentified student began showing symptoms after the June 20 “drive-in” ceremony at the Chappaqua train station for Horace Greeley HS seniors, according to Cuomo, who directed the DOH to probe the outbreak.

The student tested positive for COVID-19 as did four others at the ceremony, in which families sat in cars to listen to speeches and saw the names of seniors appear on a screen.

Bill and Hillary Clinton, who have had a home in the posh town since 1999, delivered a “surprise” video address at the end of the ceremony.

Those who attended the ceremony or other graduation events, which continued into June 21, were told to quarantine until July 5.

“New Yorkers have controlled the spread of this unprecedented virus by being smart and disciplined, and our progress to date is illustrated by the current low numbers of new cases and hospitalizations,” Cuomo said. “But as we are seeing in other states who reopened quickly, the pandemic is far from over, and we need to stay vigilant.”

Cuomo also announced on Saturday that New Yorkers who travel to high-risk states would be ineligible for the state’s COVID-19 paid sick leave. He did not specify if he was referring only to state employees. The order does not apply to those who must travel for work.

An Albany-issued advisory, which took effect Thursday, directs travelers returning to New York from states with high infection rates to self-quarantine for 14 days.