About one-third of nursing home staff members have received a COVID-19 vaccine through the federal pharmacy partnership with CVS and Walgreens, according to a Feb. 1 CDC report.
Of the 11,460 skilled nursing facilities that participated in the partnership between Dec. 18 and Jan. 17, 37.5 percent of staff members received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. About 77.8 percent of residents received at least one vaccine dose.
The lower percentage of staff members who received a vaccine raises concerns about low coverage in the population, which is at high risk for occupational exposure to the virus, the CDC said in its report.
Nursing home staff have shown low vaccination coverage against the flu as well. During the 2017-2018 flu season, vaccination coverage among nursing home staff was lower than other healthcare workers, according to the CDC.
If more nursing home staff are willing to get a vaccine, that may also boost the number of residents willing to be vaccinated, the CDC said, since staff members serve as a trusted source of information for patients and residents.
Between Dec. 18 and Jan. 17, a total of 713,909 nursing home residents and 582,104 nursing home staff members received a COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC report stated.
Read the full report here.
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