The coronavirus has preyed on the most vulnerable members of the population, attacking older residents in particular and ravaging places like elderly-living facilities with deadly speed. Staff and residents at long-term care facilities account for more than half the deaths in Massachusetts, according to new state data.
The state's average age of death in fatalities related to COVID-19 is 81, the Department of Public Health revealed Monday. The fatality rate of those 80 and older is 393 per 100,000, more than four times as high as the next hardest-hit age group.
The infection rate among those 80 and older has skyrocketed in recent state data as increased testing efforts take place at long-term care facilities.
Such facilities have seen fatality numbers pile up at a stunning rate. The Soldiers' Home in Holyoke is under federal scrutiny after more than 62 have died, most of whom tested positive for COVID-19.
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