Industry leaders are imploring public health officials to halt “the worst outbreak since last spring” by setting an aggressive goal: All residents and healthcare workers in long-term care fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by March 1.
New cases in U.S. nursing homes have risen to 18,000 a week — a record — and the number of COVID-19-related deaths is rising as well, to more than 2,000 per week, reported Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living.
A one-month delay in vaccine distribution to all residents and caregivers “could result in more than 20,000 of our residents losing their lives when a vaccine could have saved them,” he said in a Monday press briefing.
The staggering COVID-19 mortality rate in the long-term care population is tragic. But it presents an “incredible opportunity” for state governors and public health officials to prevent thousands more deaths in their jurisdictions by focusing vaccination efforts on this vulnerable group, Parkinson said.
“If we can get this done in the next 60 days, we can cut the overall COVID death rate by 40% — just by getting those initial four or five million doses out to that very important population,” he said.
“The grim reality” is that there will not be enough vaccine to inoculate everyone in the top tier of recommended phase 1 recipients, Parkinson added. So “the absolute top of that top tier should be long-term care facility residents and the folks that take care of them.”
Vaccine safety and acceptance
AHCA/NCAL said it is so far hearing excitement and interest in the vaccine among families, residents and staff members.
Not only are these groups anxious about contracting the virus, but staff members are also coping with regular testing, missed work due to quarantines, and witnessing family members and residents become ill, said David Gifford, M.D., MPH, the organization’s chief medical officer.
“Tragically, our people have seen upfront how horrible this virus can be,” Parkinson added. “So I would assume that the [vaccine] adoption rates would be much higher” among facility workers and residents when compared to the general public, he said.
“At any rate, we will find out very soon because hopefully we will have vaccines at these facilities within the next 14 days or so. Our hope is that we get widespread acceptance of the vaccine,” he concluded.
In answer to questions and concerns, “the vaccine is very safe,” Gifford said. But some people do experience normal reactions seen in vaccinations. “These are fevers, headaches, muscle aches. Those are the type of things you get when your immune system is developing antibodies [to the virus], so those are all good signs that the vaccine is kicking in.”
Meanwhile, most state governors and most county public health officials appear to be in favor of inoculating skilled nursing and senior living residents first. But their plans are not set in stone, AHCA/NCAL leaders cautioned.
“This is an ever-evolving situation, and governors may continue to change their distribution plans,” Gifford said. “We are urging all state public health officials to follow the CDC recommendations by including long-term care residents and staff in the first phase of vaccine distribution.”
