COVID-19 vaccination rates in nursing facilities are on the decline for residents and staff alike – KUNM

Very few nursing home residents are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccination, and for staff, its even lower. New Mexicos numbers are not much better than the country overall.

A KFF analysis shows that New Mexicos nursing facility residents fall just below the national average with a 37% uptake. Staff, on the other hand, have one of the highest rates in the country at just 22%.

Priya Chidambaram, a senior policy analyst with KFF, said national numbers are on the decline.

That is lower than the share that received those same vaccines last year and much lower than the share that received their vaccines when they first became available in 2021, she said.

The numbers arent as low for non-profit facilities as they are for government-run ones.

We found that states that have more non-profit facilities in them have, overall, a higher vaccination rate, Chidambaram said.

The report also noted that states that voted for President Biden in 2020 had higher vaccinatino rates. Other factors included whether facilities had programs to keep residents up to date on vaccines.

KFF also found that over one-fifth of all U.S. COVID-19 deaths have occurred in long-term facilities.

About 90% of nursing home residents received the initial vaccine in 2021.

Even though COVID-19 poses a higher risk for older adults, about 72% of nursing home residentsreceived the flu vaccine as of December.

This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.

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COVID-19 vaccination rates in nursing facilities are on the decline for residents and staff alike - KUNM