Long before the coronavirus' appearance, nursing homes have struggled to obey basic infection prevention protocols, according to an article on the CNN website.
For the past few years, government health inspectors have cited more nursing homes for failing to ensure that workers follow infection prevention and control rules than for any other type of violation, the article said.
Sixty-one percent of nursing homes were cited for one or more infection-control deficiencies.
Even among nursing homes with five-star ratings, 4 in 10 have been cited for an infection-control lapse.