Massachusetts is requiring nursing home staff and contract employees to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
Fewer than 75% of staff were fully vaccinated in 155 Massachusetts skilled nursing facilities as of Aug. 2, Gov. Charlie Baker’s ( R) office reported. Now, all of the state’s 378 facilities, plus two Soldiers’ Homes, must ensure that the new vaccination mandate is followed.
Employees must get their first shots by Sept. 1, with full vaccination to be completed by Oct. 10. The Department of Public Health will enforce the mandate as an order in provider-operated skilled nursing homes. Exemptions will be offered to those with medical restrictions or sincerely held religious beliefs that prevent receipt of vaccination.
Illinois, New Jersey announce requirements
Also on Wednesday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office said that all state employees working in congregate facilities must receive a COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 4, according to WEGM. In addition, the state also will require universal masking in private long-term care facilities and is strongly encouraging these operators to adopt vaccination requirements, the news outlet reported.
The new mandates follow New Jersey’s Monday announcement that it would require long-term care workers and employees in other congregate settings to be fully-vaccinated against COVID-19.
The rapid spread of the highly contagious SARS-CoV-2 delta gene variant has raised the spectre of increased transmission in the long-term care sector — including breakthrough infections among vaccinated residents. With workers much less likely to be vaccinated than residents, they are now the focus of risk-mitigation efforts. But not all states are leaning toward vaccine mandates.
Masks a must in Colorado
In Colorado, COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated Coloradans are on an upward trend in older age groups, CPR reported. Clusters of breakthrough cases have led to the deaths of some vaccinated senior care facility residents, sparking a CDC investigation. The state is not mandating vaccination at this point, but on Tuesday, health officials reinstated a mask requirement for everyone entering a nursing home, according to the Colorado Sun. What’s more, staff who haven’t received a shot must be tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection daily, as per a July 23 order.
Gov. Jared Polis (D), meanwhile, said he will tie coronavirus restrictions to hospital patient load, and that capacity is “not yet in jeopardy,” according to Colorado Public Radio. But on Monday, Polis publicly implored federal authorities to speed the review of Pfizer’s request to allow a third COVID-19 shot as a booster for older adults, CPR reported.
The state is seeing more vaccine breakthrough cases with the Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines compared with Moderna’s, a state epidemiologist told the news outlet.
Denver mandates nursing home shots
The city of Denver, however, is taking a bigger step and mandating full COVID-19 vaccination — not only for all city and county employees, but private-sector employees in high-risk settings as well, including nursing homes. Approximately 30% of long-term care staff members in the city are unvaccinated. Compliance is required by Sep. 30.
The highly infectious delta strain of the novel coronavirus is now responsible for 90% of all cases sequenced in the city, Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration said in a Monday announcement. Denver’s hospitalization rate remains low at this time, “but its seven-day incidence rate is above the ‘substantial’ threshold,” reported local NBC affiliate KUSA.
“To achieve the highest level of protection and recovery from the pandemic, especially among high-risk and vulnerable groups, we need to maximize vaccinations as quickly as possible, and mandates will do just that,” Hancock said.
Other states have banned vaccine mandates. As of last week, nine states have enacted laws prohibiting these requirements, according to National Public Radio. Montana state health officials released guidance this week to clarify to nursing homes and long-term care facilities that they can’t require employees or residents to be vaccinated against the disease due to a new law, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News has reported.
