Nursing home deaths exceed 2,000 in 4 weeks

The virus also spread to more facilities than in previous months, with 27 percent of nursing homes nationwide reporting new COVID-19 infections among residents and more than 61 percent

reporting new staff cases, the new analysis found. During the midsummer lows, only 4 percent of facilities reported new resident cases and only 14 percent reported new staff cases.   Cases

were concentrated among the unvaccinated, the analysis found, with residents who are not fully vaccinated more than twice as likely to contract the virus as those who are fully vaccinated.

“In fact, rates of new cases among unvaccinated residents and staff are higher than they were one year ago,” Houser says. DEATHS, INFECTIONS CONCENTRATED IN CERTAIN STATES The analysis

tracked state-level data over the four weeks, showing that Oregon reported the highest rate of resident COVID-19 deaths: 1 in every 167 residents. West Virginia reported the highest rate of

new resident infections, with around 1 in every 16 residents newly infected. And Alaska topped the rate of new staff infections, with around 1 staff member for every 13 residents newly

infected.  CHECK THE VACCINATION RATES OF YOUR NURSING HOME   You can now find vaccination rates of both residents and staff at any Medicare-certified nursing home and compare it with state

and national averages on Medicare.gov’s Care Compare website. * Find a nursing home’s profile via the home page’s search function * Visit the “Details” section of its profile * Click the

“View COVID-19 Vaccination Rates” button Florida is reporting alarming figures in its more than 700 nursing homes for a second straight month. It had more resident deaths over the

four-week period — about 300 — than any other state, as well as the most new resident infections (about 2,700 cases) and staff infections (about 2,800 cases). It reported the second-lowest

staff vaccination rate of any state, with just 53 percent of workers fully vaccinated as of Sept. 20. (Only Louisiana reported a lower rate.) Florida also reported the lowest resident

vaccination rate of any state, with just 74 percent of residents fully vaccinated.  Nationally, 67 percent of nursing home workers were fully inoculated as of Sept. 19, representing an

increase of around 3 percent since the previous reporting period. Meanwhile, the number of fully vaccinated residents increased by 1 percent, to 85 percent.  President Joe Biden announced

in mid-August that U.S. nursing homes that receive federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars must require their workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. A deadline and other details for

the federal requirement are yet to be announced, but some state governments and nursing home operators have already imposed their own mandates.   AARP has called on facilities to require

both workers and residents to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and  engagement officer, urged a faster uptake

in light of AARP’s new analysis. “Tragically, we are still seeing far too many infections and deaths in these facilities,” she says. “It is past time to vaccinate all staff and residents

and prevent yet another wave of this virus from taking more lives.”