Image of Susan Reinhard, RN, Ph.D.; Image credit: AARP
Susan Reinhard, RN, Ph.D.; Image credit: AARP

A new report from the AARP shows encouraging trends in U.S. nursing home COVID-19 cases and vaccinations. But the steady rate of resident deaths from the disease raises concerns in the face of waning vaccine efficacy, the organization’s policy analysts said. 

Nursing home staff COVID-19 vaccinations grew by 7% in October — double the rates seen during the summer months. And as of mid-October, 86% of residents and 74% of healthcare staff were fully vaccinated, Susan Reinhard, RN, Ph.D., of the AARP Public Policy Institute, reported at a press briefing late last week. 

In addition, new COVID-19 cases have fallen since September — by a third among staff and by a quarter among residents, according to an analysis of federal data collected for the AARP COVID-19 Nursing Home Dashboard.

But the October numbers were not all rosy. Case rates in U.S. nursing homes were still 10 times higher than they were at the low point of the pre-delta variant wave. New cases among unvaccinated staff and residents remain at rates seen last summer. And as of mid-October, 160,000 residents and more than half a million staff members remain unvaccinated, she added. 

What’s more, fully 2,000 residents died of COVID-19 per month in September and October.

The pandemic is not yet over for U.S. nursing homes, concluded Reinhard, who called the current resident death rates “really shocking.” Considering the ongoing risk of transmission and the looming problem of staff shortages, the lack of state and federal plans for addressing the waning efficacy of COVID-19 shots is troubling, she and her colleagues said.

Most nursing home residents were vaccinated early in the vaccine rollout, and boosters are going to be crucial for protecting this population going forward, Ari Houser, AARP’s senior methods advisor, added.

“Based on the timing, they are due for their boosters. As we go into the winter months where there is a risk of increased community spread … how good are those vaccines now?”

The full AARP discussion with more nursing home trends analysis has been posted on YouTube. The nursing home portion can be found mid-program.