According to new data from AARP, older adults, especially those living in nursing homes, are bearing the brunt of the current winter wave of COVID in the United States, but the rate of dose increases among residents population and nursing home staff remains low.
According to AARP, only 47% of nursing home residents were fully informed and received the bivalent COVID booster in the four weeks before December 18. Less than a quarter of staff, 22%, were Fully updated on their COVID vaccinations. This is despite the relatively high rate of infection and transmission. During the same time period, one in 17 nursing home residents tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 1,100 nursing home residents died. In total, 64% of nursing homes have at least one resident. COVID is the third leading cause of death for Americans over the age of 65.
The majority of nursing home staff are women, and the elderly population is largely female.
Ari Houser is a senior methodology advisor for AARP’s Public Policy Institute and principal analyst for AARP’s nursing home dashboard, which tracks COVID cases, deaths, and immunization rates in both people. people and staff. He praised the Biden administration’s early effort to vaccinate nursing home residents by 2021, but said ramping up efforts have been relatively lackluster.
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“There has been no extraordinary effort to vaccinate nursing home residents. There is a normal attempt. And so we have normal results,” Houser told The 19th.
Houser also highlights how vaccination rates in nursing homes vary from state to state. Arizona has the lowest vaccination rate, with only 26 percent of residents fully up to date. In contrast, 95 percent of nursing home residents in Vermont and Rhode Island are motivated and up to date.
While political attitudes toward vaccination certainly have an impact, Houser points out that nursing homes and states that previously had lower flu vaccination rates appear to be the same states that are struggling to get the vaccine back. COVID boosters in weapons.
“It’s a problem that’s not new to COVID or unique to COVID. Houser says the reason vaccination rates for the initial vaccine are so high is because an unprecedented effort has been made to achieve such a high rate.
Sheria Robinson-Lane is a geriatrician and assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing. She stressed the need to vaccinate nursing home residents because even mild COVID-19 infections can be catastrophic for older adults.
Robinson-Lane told The 19th: “For vulnerable populations like the elderly and those with chronic illnesses, those in nursing homes, flu and COVID vaccines are really important. .
She expressed concern about the lack of information about the boosters.
“You don’t really hear about it much on the radio. You don’t even hear about COVID deaths like we used to. There’s a disconnect between what’s going on. Maybe even some fatigue,” she said.
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Janice Will, 71, of Michigan, contracted COVID while recovering in a nursing home. Will has Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative condition that causes tremors and loss of muscle control.
In September, she had an extended hospital stay because of low sodium levels. During that time, she lost the ability to walk and sit up in bed on her own. She is expected to spend time in the nursing facility working on that rehabilitation.
Instead, two weeks into his stay, Will contracted COVID. All physical, occupational, and speech therapies stop. She received some services in bed, and her son, Brandon Will, tried to do some exercises with her. But months later, she is still unable to walk. According to her son, it is unclear if she ever did.
“Prior to [she contracted COVID] she is pacing in the hallway and she is using the exercise bike. But now all that progress is gone. We’re still struggling to get that baseline back or to figure out what the new baseline is,” said Brandon Will.
Although her case of COVID was not “severe” – Janice Will did not return to the hospital – it was a horrifying experience.
It is not known exactly how she contracted COVID, but both she and her son expressed disappointment when the roommate’s daughter and grandchild visited without a mask. Her roommate also contracted COVID and had to be quarantined as well. There was no requirement to wear a mask for guests at the time Will was infected. Safety precautions are also largely based on self-reporting.
“When I check [the facility] There are precautions out there that they are taking. But then really in fact, they didn’t. They don’t check anyone’s vaccination status. Not tourists. Visitors are not required to wear masks. Only these small test samples ask if you have had a fever or cough in the past 14 days. It’s an honor system,” said Brandon Will.
Janice Will describes her experience with COVID quarantine as arbitrary at best. The only guest she regularly interacts with is her son. To meet her, he must be fully equipped with PPE – not only a mask but also gloves, a visor, shoe covers and a gown.
“People only come to check on me at mealtime or when I need to go to the bathroom. It was very lonely,” she said.
What the Will went through is not unique. Last month, AARP sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking the department to increase immunization efforts and enforce existing requirements. The letter outlines a number of failures, including some nursing homes reporting that no boosters were used.
“We have completely given up on pretending to try [protect people] in this country. It was like we were left to fend for ourselves,” said Brandon Will.
