Drastic drop in covid rates due to vaccines

The news this week is good. Various sources are reporting drastic declines in nursing home cases of COVID-19. The New York Times reports, "From late December to early February, new cases among nursing home residents fell by more than 80 percent, nearly double the rate of improvement in the general population." This decline syncs with the arrival and prioritization of vaccines for nursing homes. 

According to February 8-21 responses to NIC's Skilled Nursing COVID-19 Tracker, the majority of residents and staff have taken the COVID-19 vaccines. 

• Dose #1 received by 84% of residents and 59% of staff
• Dose #2 received by 76% of residents and 55% of staff 

Some staff are still reluctant, but NIC's survey also provides data on the top nine tactics nursing homes are using to achieve vaccination acceptance among residents and staff. 

AHCA and LeadingAge, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have committed to the nationwide goal of getting 75 percent of approximately 1.5 million nursing home staff vaccinated by June 30, 2021. So, expect more vaccine success tips to assist with this effort.

Meanwhile, senior care inches back toward a more normal mode of operation. Operators are finding time to focus on what is now promising to be an even more competitive market and we're here to help. Our March 4 webinar will offer leading experts discussing post-pandemic repositioning strategies.

In addition to expert advice from Health Dimensions Group (HDG) CEO/Principal, Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey (MA, NHA, CPG), we'll talk about how multi-facility operators like HDG are using our primeVIEW decision dashboard to their strategic advantage.

Until then, keep up the great work out there and celebrate this wave of good news on the COVID-19 front. As always, thank you for your many months of tireless care across senior care communities.