Supplies of the Covid-19 vaccination are still limited, but residents of long-term care facilities are receiving priority.
In general, older people are at greater risk of serious illness or death if they contract the virus. They more often have underlying conditions and compromised immune systems, two factors increasing the odds of fatality or severe disease. Those in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes, are even more vulnerable as close contact exacerbates the likelihood of spread.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended nursing home residents receive priority status. Under Texas law, nursing homes have a duty of care to protect residents from infectious disease outbreaks. A Dallas nursing home lawyer at Crowe Arnold & Majors LLP can help determine whether a nursing home breached that standard of care if your loved one died or was impacted by Covid-19.
First Tier
According to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), residents of long-term care facilities and staff working directly with them are part of the first tier for receiving the vaccination. Others in this tier include health care workers in hospitals and other settings– emergency services providers, and home health care workers caring for high-risk patients.
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Second Tier
Those in the second tier for vaccination eligibility include outpatient care staff dealing directly with patients– healthcare workers in detention facilities; community pharmacy staff; funeral home workers, and school nurses.
Covid-19 Rages Through Texas Nursing Homes
As of January 5, 2021, virtually every nursing home in the state– 99.5 percent– has been impacted by Covid-19. To date, 7,037 Texas nursing home residents have succumbed to the disease. The total number of residents confirmed as having Covid-19 is 64,834. Of those, 38,660 have recovered. Roughly one-third of all the Covid-19 deaths in Texas have occurred in nursing homes.
Nationally, more than 100,000 nursing home deaths were related to Covid-19 as of early December. That was out of a total of about 300,000 coronavirus-related fatalities. In some states, more than 50 percent of Covid-19 deaths are linked to nursing homes, whether residents or staff. Covid-19 kills 2 percent of victims overall, but it rises to 13 percent for nursing home residents.
The virus continues to spread, but if long-term care facility vaccination proceeds rapidly, perhaps those numbers will decline substantially within a few months.
Contact us for a free consultation
If your family member contracted Covid-19 in a nursing home and died or suffered a severe illness, contact an experienced personal injury attorney at Crowe Arnold & Majors LLP. Failure to protect nursing home residents from contracting Covid-19 may result from negligence. Complete our online form, or call us for a confidential consultation.
Our work is performed on a contingency basis, so you pay no fees unless you receive compensation.
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