Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

November 10, 2020

Association Between Nursing Home Crowding and COVID-19 Infection and Mortality in Ontario, Canada

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Among 618 nursing homes in Canada, those that were crowded were more likely to experience COVID-19 outbreaks with worse outcomes. Nursing homes were classified according to a crowding index defined as themean number of residents per bedroom and bathroom. While the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 introduction did not differ between homes with a low or high crowding index, each 1-point increase in the crowding index was associated with a 1.7-fold increase in incidence and 1.7-fold increase in mortality. Simulations suggest that converting all 4-bed rooms to 2-bed rooms would have averted 19% of cases and 18% of deaths.

Brown et al. (Nov 9, 2020). Association Between Nursing Home Crowding and COVID-19 Infection and Mortality in Ontario, Canada. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.6466