Vaccinations are markedly helping reduce Covid-19 in nursing homes --analysis

Primary tabs

Mon, 2021-02-08 18:05 — mike kraft

Analysis suggests vaccinations are helping decline of Covid-19 in nursing homes New Covid-19 cases among nursing home residents and staff have dropped more than 50% in about four weeks, according to a CNN analysis of the latest data published by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The data captured cases reported between the week ending Dec. 20 and the week ending Jan. 24. By Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, Kara Fox and Christopher Johnson, CNN CNN

New Covid-19 cases among nursing home residents and staff have dropped more than 50% in about four weeks, according to a CNN analysis of the latest data published by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The data captured cases reported between the week ending Dec. 20 and the week ending Jan. 24.

A separate analysis by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living found that new Covid-19 cases have dropped twice as fast in those nursing homes that held early vaccination clinics.

Last week, CMS said it was too soon to link the ongoing decreases in nursing home cases to vaccination efforts.

A federal program to vaccinate long-term care facility residents and staff held its first vaccination clinics during the week of Dec. 19. Three weeks later, new Covid-19 cases among residents had declined 48% in nursing homes that participated in the first week of vaccine clinics, compared to a 21% decline in nursing homes that did not have a clinic that first week.

Similarly, new Covid-19 cases among staff declined 33% in those facilities that participated in the first week of vaccine clinics, compared to 18% in those that did not have a clinic that first week.

The AHCA/NCAL analysis, published last week, only assessed those nursing homes that enrolled in the Federal Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, including 797 facilities that held vaccination clinics in the first week and 1,709 facilities in the same set of counties that did not.

“The decline in new cases three weeks after the first dose, compared to facilities having vaccine clinics later, is encouraging and signals that the vaccine may decrease the spread of COVID, a finding not shown in the trials. If verified with additional data, this could expedite the reopening of long term care facilities to visitors, which is vital to residents’ health and wellbeing,” said Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer for AHCA/NCAL. “Given the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has on long term care residents, we must continue to prioritize vaccinating the elderly in these settings.”