Just over a third of nursing home workers received COVID-19 vaccines when the shots were first offered, U.S. health officials said Monday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave a national record of a problem that has been anecdotally reported – many nursing home workers get no chance.
The CDC examined more than 11,000 nursing homes and skilled care facilities that had at least one vaccination clinic between mid-December and mid-January. The researchers found that 78% of residents received at least one shot, but only 37.5% of staff.
Previously, data showed that people who work in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are receiving flu vaccines at lower rates than other health care workers. According to surveys, long-term carers are skeptical that the shots will work and don’t believe that viruses can easily spread from them to the people they care for.
The issue was discussed last week at a meeting of an expert panel that advises the CDC on vaccine policy. During the meeting, Dr. Amanda Cohn of the CDC that more staff will be vaccinated if a second or third clinic is held in the same house.
“It will be very important to continue tracking employees who did not accept the vaccine early as we seek to clear out outbreaks and protect both employees and residents of long-term care facilities,” said Cohn.
The government hired CVS and Walgreens to manage nursing home admissions in almost every state. Each vaccine requires two shots a few weeks apart, and CVS and Walgreens say they’ve completed clinics with the first dose in nursing homes. The chains plan three visits to each location.
The CDC released a second report on Monday that offered a bigger national view of who received the vaccine.
The CDC study found that of those who received at least one shot between mid-December and mid-January, 63% were women and 55% were 50 years of age or older. It was also found that 60% were White, 11.5% Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% Black, 2% Native American / Alaskan, and most of the others were multiracial.
The report reproduced previously published data from states.
