FRIDAY, July 30, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Overall, 56.8 percent of health care personnel (HCP) working at long-term care facilities (LTCFs) had completed COVID-19 vaccination through April 4, 2021, according to research published in the July 30 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
James T. Lee, M.D., from the CDC COVID-19 Response Team, and colleagues analyzed data submitted during March 1 to April 4, 2021, to describe COVID-19 vaccination coverage among a sample of HCP working in LTCFs. HCP vaccination coverage rates were compared with social vulnerability metrics of the surrounding community.
The researchers found that through April 4, 2021, 300 LTCFs nationwide reported that 22,825 (56.8 percent) of 40,212 HCP had completed COVID-19 vaccination. Physicians and advanced practice providers had the highest coverage (75.1 percent), while nurses and aides had the lowest (56.7 and 45.6 percent, respectively). Coverage among aides (including certified nursing assistants, nurse aides, medication aides, and medication assistants) was lower in facilities located in zip code areas with higher social vulnerability, which corresponded to vaccination disparities in the wider community.
“Low vaccination coverage among LTCF staff members highlights disparities across HCP groups, and in the surrounding communities,” the authors write. “Additional efforts are warranted to improve LTCF immunization policies and vaccination practices, build HCP confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, and encourage vaccination among persons who have been economically or socially marginalized.”
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