Kimberly Marselas

With updated COVID vaccines expected to be widely available by week’s end, providers are ramping up efforts to get shots into arms as nursing home cases remain elevated compared to the last six months. 

The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living on Wednesday launched its 2023 #GetVaccinated Toolkit, with resources designed to equip providers with the tools and information needed to encourage “critical vaccinations among residents and staff.”

“Long-term care providers are making every effort to encourage residents and staff to roll up their sleeves,” AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in announcing the updated tools. “We remain focused on ramping up those education efforts this fall and partnering with Administration officials and other stakeholders to streamline access to vaccines.”

US nursing homes have reported more than 10,000 resident COVID cases in each of the last three weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. That’s a level not seen since March, and it has sparked some concern given that cases have tended to climb in winter months as more people move indoors.

Notably, as mask requirements and visitation limitations are largely gone, the share of nursing home residents “up to date” on their COVID shots has fallen to 62.1%. And staff coverage lingers around 25%, according to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services dated Aug. 27.

The head of the CDC on Tuesday evening approved the rollout of a new shot, the first to target a common post-omicron variant known as XBB.1.5. The agency recommended the shot for anyone 6 months and older.

The last shot recommended was for seniors and the immunocompromised, who were advised in April that they could receive a second booster at least four months after their last shot.

But some nursing homes faced challenges in encouraging their patients to accept new boosters, given less urgency around the disease this spring and summer..

Nursing home resident deaths, however, have more than doubled from an average around 80 nationally in mid-July to 199 for the week ending Sept. 3.

Increasing cases and more serious outcomes among the senior population are good reminders that, for some, COVID may be forgotten, but for most it is not gone, a pair of infectious disease doctors wrote in a JAMA viewpoint Wednesday.

They pointed out that while hybrid immunity — vaccination combined with a past infection — appears to be offering much of the US population added protection against COVID, seniors are less likely to experience that. They have the lowest levels of hybrid immunity, and the immunity afforded them by vaccines also decreases faster.

“As the US continues to emerge from the pandemic it is essential that clinicians and patients keep SARS-CoV-2 on the list of viral pathogens that cause major respiratory illness,” write Carlos del Rio, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine and JAMA Deputy Editor Preeti N. Malani, MD, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. “Protecting the most vulnerable populations should be a priority. This includes making vaccinations, high-quality masks, testing, and antivirals easily available.”

The AHCA toolkit includes campaign resources for multiple vaccination types, including influenza and a new RSV shot available to seniors.

“Older adults and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill from these viruses,” AHCA reminded. “Vaccination remains one of the most effective, safest ways to build immunity and prevent serious illness, hospitalizations and death.”

The 2023 #GetVaccinated Toolkit includes:

  • A checklist for providers with suggested best practices in order to prepare for fall vaccination season;
  • Poster graphics to raise awareness about the importance of getting vaccinated;
  • Social media posts and graphics;
  • Template letters to residents and family members; and
  • In-depth resources for providers about recommended vaccines for residents and staff, documenting vaccines, frequently asked questions, and more.