A new independent report says the next wave of coronavirus could be even worse in nursing homes if major changes don't happen now.

COVID-19 hit Connecticut nursing homes hard and fast. Research firm Mathematica says the crisis didn't have to be as severe as it was.

Mathematica presented its initial findings Tuesday.

The group says state regulators did a poor job of tracking infections in nursing homes -- often relying on fax machines to get reports.

It says the state waited too long to require masks. The mandate did not go into effect until April.

The report says larger facilities with fewer staffers fared the worst, as did for-profit homes.

Moving forward, Mathematica recommends limiting workers to just one facility, staffers should stay with same unit and the same residents, widespread rapid testing needs to be available and facilities should have extra workers on standby.

During the COVID-19 peak, some homes were so short-staffed, they reportedly had coronavirus-positive nurses working.

The state health commissioner says they want to be prepared for a possible second wave.

"We look forward to further conversations, of which I'm sure there will be many. But today, I think, is time for us to just learn," said the health commissioner.

But some lawmakers say they only "learned" what they already knew.

The full Mathematica report will be released next month. The state is paying $500,000 for it.