A vial of SARS-CoV2 COVID-19 vaccine in a medical research laboratory

There’s still much progress needed for long-term care industry providers to meet their self-imposed goal of getting three-quarters of all nursing home workers vaccinated against COVID-19 by this time next week.

The latest available data posted on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services revealed that just more than 1,130 facilities had reported that at least 75% of their workers had been fully vaccinated for the June 6 reporting round. 

That’s up from the starting data point of 748 facilities that hit the target when data was first released earlier this month. The actual number is expected to be much higher but not near the approximate 11,000 facilities that would be needed to reach a 75% facility mark by the goal of June 30.

“The preliminary results indicate that while we have made considerable progress in the past few months, we still have farther to go. Ongoing vaccine education and outreach to both staff and residents will be critical in protecting our vulnerable population from COVID-19,” the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living said in a statement to McKnight’s Long-Term Care News on Tuesday. The association on Tuesday also hosted a special town hall for long-term care staff about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines and to answer questions from attendees.

Also on Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that White House officials were conceding that President Biden’s goal of getting 70% of all U.S. adults vaccinated against COVID-19 would not be met by July 1.

LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan in a statement to McKnight’s Tuesday said  that providers have been “working around the clock to steadily increase vaccination rates. Every additional vaccine is a success.” 

The association said close to 64% of LeadingAge members’ staff are fully vaccinated, compared to a 57.1% staff vaccination rate across the entire aging services field. The organization also noted that other sectors, like hospitals, are working to increase their vaccination rates among their workforces, but their figures are often lower. 

“The available data shows continued progress, and vaccines are saving lives. We’ll have a better sense of the big picture when more data becomes available this week but we know this is a continuing process, and more work must be done,” added Sloan. “And long-term care providers continue to educate residents, clients, families and employees about the benefits of vaccination. But we cannot do it alone. Everyone has a role to play in ensuring that vaccines are understood and accepted, making our communities healthy and safe.”

Nursing homes are required to report resident and staff vaccination rates to federal officials or face civil monetary penalties under recently implemented regulations. Providers received a one-week reprieve (until last Sunday, June 20), before the agency started assessing penalties. 

A CMS spokeswoman on Tuesday told McKnight’s it plans to release information on the number of providers who are out of compliance with these requirements in the near future. 

“Failure to meet these new reporting requirements will result in a CMP starting at $1,000 for facilities with no previous occurrences of noncompliance,” the spokesperson warned. “Beginning on June 27, and for each subsequent week that a facility fails to submit the required report, noncompliance will result in an additional CMP imposed at an amount increased by $500 and added to the previously imposed CMP amount.”