Long-term care facilities major hotspot of U.S. COVID-19 deaths: Study

Fifty percent or more of COVID-19 deaths in 26 U.S. states have occurred in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), according to a report by Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) issued on Friday.

The states of Minnesota and Rhode Island each reported 81 percent of COVID-19 deaths in LTCFs, topping the list.

Following were Connecticut with 71 percent and New Hampshire with 70 percent.

Eleven states do not report the number of COVID-19 deaths occurring in LTCFs, and the authors of the study revealed that this has contributed to an underestimate of the total deaths in the country.

"Once we get accurate counts of the COVID-19 deaths in all states, we will likely see a big increase in the total number of deaths in the United States," Dr.Thomas Perls, professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and one of the study's authors, said in a statement.

Across the U.S., there are so far nearly 1.9 million registered cases with over 109,000 deaths, topping the world on both counts.

On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected 127,230 COVID-19 deaths by June 27, with a possible range of 118,450 to 143,340 deaths in the country.

(With input from agencies)