A study by the Department of Health and Human Services found that roughly 60% of seniors who died from COVID-19 during an eight-month period lived in settings outside of nursing homes, according to a report from Kaiser Health News. The term excess death refers to a higher death count than the number expected based on historical data.
The report also found that the death rate among Medicare enrollees with dementia was more than twice as high as those who hadn’t been infected by the virus.
At the end of last week, the COVID-19 pandemic had claimed the lives of 612,000 Americans. More than three-quarters of those victims were over the age of 65. Still, seniors account for the highest vaccinated cohort of Americans. More than 80% have been fully vaccinated and more than 90% have gotten at least one shot.
