JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Nursing homes have experienced a significant amount of SARS-CoV-2 transmission resulting in hospital admissions and severe outcomes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Findings from a large study including hundreds of nursing homes recently published by JAMA Network Open suggest that administration of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine booster among nursing home residents may have played an important role in preventing COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality.
Authors of the study stated, “During a period in which both the Delta and Omicron variants were circulating, SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination was associated with significant reductions in SARS-CoV-2 infections, hospitalizations, and the combined end point of hospitalization or death among residents of two U.S. nursing homes.
Throughout Missouri skilled nursing facilities, an average of just 45 percent of current residents per facility are up to date on COVID-19 vaccines (based on available facility reporting). Missouri has one of the lowest rates of vaccination among long-term care facility staff in the nation. And among all eligible Missourians age 65 and older, only 35 percent have received an updated booster dose.