COVID-19 Vaccination Rates ‘Much Too Low’ in Nursing Homes, AARP Reports

COVID-19 cases and deaths climbed once again in U.S. nursing homes over the summer as vaccination rates continued to lag, a new AARP analysis of federal data found. While the virus has a pattern of surging at this time of year, this year’s case and death rates are tracking higher than those reported at the same time last year. As they do, the percentage of residents and workers that are up to date on vaccinations is less than half of what was reported this time last year.

AARP is urging uptake of the new COVID-19 vaccines ahead of a historically troublesome period for these facilities: winter.

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“It is critically important that nursing home residents and staff get vaccinated during the fall to achieve maximum protection for both themselves and all residents living in the facility,” says AARP’s Ari Houser, a senior methods adviser and coauthor of the analysis. “[Winter] has had the highest rate of deaths, cases and other COVID-19 impacts during each year of the pandemic.”

AARP’s Public Policy Institute has tracked COVID-19 data in U.S. nursing homes since June 2020, when this type of data first became available. AARP’s latest analysis looks at three months of recent data from late May to late August.

Every week during that period saw a rise in resident and staff cases compared with the previous week. This surge during late summer and early fall is common, having occurred each year since the beginning of the pandemic. This year’s surge, however, is currently producing higher case and death rates than last year’s surge.

During the most recent monthly period of the analysis, taken from July 29 to Aug. 25, the rates of resident and staff cases increased sevenfold compared with the four weeks ending May 26. One out of every 28 nursing home residents tested positive for COVID-19 during the latest monthly period. Resident deaths from the virus increased fivefold, jumping from roughly 100 in the month ending May 26 to roughly 500 for the month ending Aug. 25. 

From July 24 to Aug. 20 in 2023, one in every 47 residents tested positive for the virus nationwide, while roughly 350 resident deaths were reported.

Last year’s surge continued into September though. It’s too early to tell whether this year’s is doing the same, or whether it’s been a surge of similar size to last year’s that just started earlier.