Uncovering the Devaluation of Nursing Home Staff During COVID-19: Are We Fuelling the Next Health Care Crisis?

As the COVID-19–related mortality rate of nursing home residents continues to rise, so too will the rates of mortality and morbidity of staff who care for them,1 a problem we must address now to avoid another health care crisis once this pandemic recedes. Currently, a significant proportion of deaths are attributed to persons living in nursing homes, ranging from 42% to 57% in European countries reporting data,2 to as high as 82% in several U.S. states and in Canada.2,3 However, there is a concern that many countries are not including nursing home deaths in the death toll.