Reports of coronavirus deaths in U.S. nursing homes near 26,000

Federal health officials have received reports of almost 26,000 deaths from the coronavirus in nursing homes, AP reports, citing materials prepared for the nation's governors.

Why it matters: That figure makes up approximately one-quarter of all U.S. deaths thus far from COVID-19. Information obtained by AP only consists of reports from about 80% of the nation's 15,400 nursing homes.

• The stark figures follow months of scrutiny against state and local governments over their handling of the coronavirus in nursing homes.
• A report from the Government Accountability Office last month detailed a "persistent" pattern of nursing homes failing to control infectious spread.

The big picture: Nursing home residents and staff remain among the most vulnerable to coronavirus havoc as the rest of the country begins to ease lockdown restrictions.

• Industry professionals cite the cost of widespread testing and the length of time between tests and results as two main hurdles, per AP.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recommends a one-time universal test for all residents and staff, followed by a weekly retest of staff.

Behind the scenes: Sources familiar with internal deliberation at the White House tell Axios' Jonathan Swan that the Trump administration plans to pile more pressure on states to increase COVID-19 testing in nursing homes. There have been internal discussions about ways to condition different forms of funding to states on their level of testing in nursing homes.