Counting the Uncounted: Estimating How Many Patients Were Isolated During COVID-19
When my wife, Elizabeth, was hospitalized in March 2020, she was kept in isolation for the entire 21 days until her death. She was just 40 years old. Our two sons never got to say goodbye, and it was in the minutes after I broke the news to my sons that my oldest mentioned how he felt those days were robbed from us.
Our story isn’t unique. Across the country, patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and care facilities were cut off from their loved ones. Some survived. Many did not. And here’s the staggering truth: no one has ever officially counted how many Americans endured this isolation.
We have charts showing cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. But the most human number of all—the number of people denied the presence of family—remains invisible. Unless we confront it, those in power can continue to dismiss these stories as “isolated tragedies.” The reality is the opposite: isolation was systemic.
What We’re Asking
For clarity, let’s define what we mean. By “isolation,” we’re talking about being denied the presence of a loved one or advocate—not medical isolation for infection control, but enforced separation from family and support.
And we’re asking: How many people in the United States were isolated in hospitals and long-term care facilities between early 2020 and the end of 2022?
No dataset answers this directly. But by combining official healthcare utilization data with federal policy timelines, we can build careful, conservative estimates.
Nursing Homes: The Clearest Picture
In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a nationwide order: all nursing homes must restrict visitors, with only rare “compassionate care” exceptions. That ban wasn’t lifted until November 2021—20 months later.
At the time, around 1.3 million Americans lived in nursing homes. If you multiply that by 610 days of restricted visitation, you get ~800 million “resident-days” lived under isolation.
And because nursing home populations turn over by 30–40% each year, the total number of unique individuals affected was likely closer to 2–2.5 million people.
Two to two-and-a-half million of our most vulnerable citizens—parents, grandparents, veterans—were denied the touch, comfort, and advocacy of loved ones for nearly two years.
Hospitals: A Harder Number to Pin Down
Hospitals are less straightforward because visitation policies varied by state, facility, and unit. But the broad picture is clear:
Spring 2020: Nearly all U.S. hospitals banned visitors.
2021: Restrictions eased in some places, but many facilities kept bans or “one visitor only” rules well into the year.
2022: Some restrictions lingered, especially during surges.
Now, let’s look at the data. According to federal statistics, U.S. hospitals logged ~658 million inpatient-days from 2020 through 2022. The average hospital stay was about five days, which means there were ~132 million hospitalizations during that period.
If we conservatively count only April 2020 through March 2021—when strict bans were widespread—that gives us ~222 million inpatient-days, translating to about 44 million patients isolated.
If we broaden the lens to include all of 2020 and 2021—when most hospitals allowed at most one visitor—that number rises to ~436 million inpatient-days, or ~87 million patients who endured restricted visitation.
Even the conservative floor—44 million patients—represents a staggering number of human beings.
Why These Numbers Matter
These estimates aren’t perfect. But they don’t have to be exact to tell us something crucial: isolation wasn’t rare. It was the rule.
In nursing homes: virtually the entire population lived under no-visitor rules—millions of residents.
In hospitals: at least 44 million patients, and possibly double that, faced restricted or no visitation.
This is not about anecdotes. It’s about scale. And when we understand the scale, we understand why systemic reform is non-negotiable.
The Human Cost Behind the Math
It’s tempting to let these numbers stay abstract. But every digit represents a life.
An elderly woman who stopped eating when her daughter couldn’t visit.
A young father with COVID who died alone while his family pleaded on Zoom.
A stroke patient who missed critical rehabilitation decisions because her advocate wasn’t allowed in.
I carry Elizabeth’s story with me, but I also carry theirs. Together, these stories add up to something undeniable: we failed millions of patients when we chose isolation over humanity.
Our Mission: Never Again
At The NEVER Alone Project, we exist to ensure this never happens again. The math matters because lawmakers and health leaders respond to data. They need to see that this wasn’t a handful of “unfortunate cases.” It was tens of millions of people.
And we need to hold systems accountable. Without recognition of the harm, there will be no urgency to pass permanent protections guaranteeing patients the right to a support person. Without numbers, the next crisis could bring the same inhumane mistakes.
Call to Action
We can’t change what happened to Elizabeth, or to the millions who suffered in silence. But we can fight to ensure no patient is ever left alone again.
Policymakers: Enact laws guaranteeing a patient’s right to a support person, regardless of circumstances.
Healthcare leaders: Build policies that balance infection control with humanity.
Journalists and advocates: Keep shining a light on both the stories and the scale.
Families: Share your experiences. Your voices matter.
Behind every statistic is a person who deserved better. Behind every estimate is a loved one who should not have been left alone.
This is why we count.
This is why we fight.
And this is why we will not stop until every patient’s right to connection is protected in law and practice.