Vaccine Clinics in Nursing Homes Associated With Greater Reduction in COVID-19 Cases

The reduction of COVID-19 cases was 27% greater in nursing homes that had vaccination clinics vs those that did not have clinics, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.

Researchers created a multivariable, random intercepts, negative binomial model using data from 15,400 skilled nursing facilities certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Facilities were included if they participated in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (PPP).

The PPP, a federal vaccine program implemented in December 2020, offered three 1-day on-site clinics to participating nursing homes, resulting in 78% of residents and 38% of staff receiving at least one dose by January 17, 2021. At the time of the study, 13,710 CMS-certified nursing homes had vaccine clinics, and 10,651 met both criteria for data analysis.

By mid-February 2021, there were over 630,000 cases and 127,000 deaths attributable to COVID-19 in US nursing homes, according to NHSN data. COVID-19 rates in nursing homes began declining before widespread vaccination, and the reduction was greater in nursing homes that had access to vaccines through PPP clinics.

Authors noted, however, that additional factors could have contributed to the reductions in cases.

“The decline in COVID-19 was evident prior to widespread vaccination, highlighting the benefit of a multifaced approach to prevention including continued use of recommended screening, testing, and infection prevention practices as well as vaccination to keep residents in nursing homes safe,” authors concluded.

Reference:
Benin AL, Soe MM, Edwards JR, et al. Ecological analysis of the decline in incidence rates of COVID-19 among nursing home residents associated with vaccination, United States, December 2020-January 2021 [published online ahead of print, 2021 Aug 13]. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2021;S1525-8610(21)00691-5. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2021.08.004