It feels like a lifetime ago, but one of the earliest outbreaks of coronavirus here in

the U.S. began at a nursing home in Washington State.

On February 28, a resident of the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington tested positive

for COVID-19.

By mid-March, at least 81 residents, 34 staff members and 14 visitors had contracted coronavirus.

Thousands of deaths have been connected to this outbreak.

The World Health Organization now estimates that up to half of the people who have died

from COVID-19 in Europe were residents in long-term care facilities, and then analysis

from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that that pattern is reflected in a handful

of U.S. states as well.

And yet, months into this crisis, the federal government still has not released any data

tracing the outbreak in these nursing homes.

I'm Tremaine Lee, and this is Into America.

Today, we're going into the country's long-term care facilities to understand how a lag

and data collection has allowed the spread of coronavirus to spiral out of control.

I think folks are released still scratching their heads about why this was not made a priority.

Suzy Kim is a national investigative reporter for NBC News.

In the absence of federal data, Suzy and colleague Laura Strickler began tracking the number

of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes across the country.

For Suzy, this wasn't just an assignment.

Just weeks into the crisis, the numbers became personal.

But it really did not hit home until I discovered and heard about exactly the same problems

...