Most Nursing Home Residents Did Not Receive Omicron Boosters
Less than 50% of nursing home residents, one of the nation’s most vulnerable populations to severe illness from Covid-19, received Omicron boosters ahead of the expected wave of infections this winter. rice field.
The Biden administration has made increasing booster intake among nursing home residents central to its strategy to prevent a spike in hospitalizations and deaths this winter.
Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid task force leader, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday, “We are working very closely with nursing home leaders across America and we want them to do more. I asked you to do
“And we are reaching out to governors who have low vaccination rates in nursing homes to offer personalized support,” Jha said.
The administration is working with nursing homes to ensure vaccines and treatments are available on the ground, Jha said.The federal government is also increasing the pool of staff who can administer vaccines at nursing homes. .
The American Medical Association, which represents nursing homes, called on the Biden administration in November to waive certain restrictions that prevented facility staff from vaccinating residents. The White House said Thursday that nursing home staff can now administer boosters.
Older adults, especially nursing home residents, are among the most vulnerable age groups to severe illness and death from COVID-19.
About 161,000 nursing home residents have died from Covid since the pandemic began. According to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. About 15% of the more than 1 million people who have died from the virus in the United States since 2020 will be residents of nursing homes.
CMS data show that 86% of nursing home residents complete primary vaccination, but only 47% receive all recommended boosters. Only 22% of nursing home staff keep their photos up to date.
Jha said most people who are now dying from Covid are elderly, not up to date with the latest vaccines and receiving treatments such as the antiviral drug Paxlovid when the breakthrough infection hit. says no.
Covid cases in nursing homes increased 65% from 11,400 in the week ending Nov. 13 to 18,900 in the week ending Dec. 4, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of cases fell 11% to 16,700 the following week, according to data.
Covid-19 deaths in nursing homes increased 25% from 256 in the week ending 20 November to 321 in the week ending 11 December. This is dramatically less than the pandemic’s peak of more than 6,000 nursing home deaths in the week of December 20, 2020. .
Jha reiterated that virtually all Covid deaths are now preventable through vaccination and treatment.
“There are still too many older Americans who have not been immunized and protected,” Ja said.
In addition to vaccines, anyone who tests positive for Covid should be checked to see if they are eligible for treatment such as the antiviral drug Paxlovid, Jha said.
“It is clear to me that anyone over the age of 60 should be treated. It means most people need to get treatment now.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/15/covid-most-nursing-home-residents-have-not-received-omicron-booster.html Most Nursing Home Residents Did Not Receive Omicron Boosters