Unvaccinated staff eyed in federal investigation of Mesa County nursing home cases, deaths

By Jason Dearen and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Lagging vaccination rates among nursing location unit are being linked to a nationalist summation successful COVID-19 infections and deaths astatine elder facilities, and are astatine the halfway of a national probe successful a hard-hit Colorado determination wherever illness detectives recovered galore workers were not inoculated.

The probe by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of facilities successful the Grand Junction country raises concerns among nationalist wellness doctors that successes successful protecting susceptible elders with vaccines could beryllium successful peril arsenic the much assertive delta variant spreads crossed the country.

Nationally astir 59% of nursing location unit person gotten their shots, astir the aforesaid arsenic the wide percent of afloat vaccinated adults — but importantly little than the astir 80% of residents who are vaccinated, according to Medicare. And immoderate states person overmuch little vaccination rates of astir 40%.

Some argumentation experts are urging the authorities to adjacent the spread by requiring nursing location staffers get shots, a mandate the Biden medication has been reluctant to issue. Nursing location operators fearfulness specified a determination could backfire, prompting galore staffers with vaccine qualms to simply discontinue their jobs.

To beryllium sure, the immense bulk of afloat vaccinated radical who go infected with the delta variant endure lone mild symptoms.

But “older adults whitethorn not respond afloat to the vaccine and there’s tremendous hazard of idiosyncratic coming successful with the virus,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for nationalist wellness signifier astatine Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“Vaccinating workers successful nursing homes is simply a nationalist exigency due to the fact that the delta variant is simply a menace adjacent to those already vaccinated,” helium said.

The CDC conducted its probe of delta variant outbreaks successful elder attraction facilities successful Mesa County, Colorado, successful May and June. The country is simply a coronavirus blistery spot. The bureau said it is assisting states and counties passim the federation arsenic portion of the White House’s COVID-19 “surge teams.”

Nationally, information collected by CDC amusement that deaths and confirmed infections among nursing location unit person decreased importantly since vaccinations began successful January. But the fig of deaths reported among unit person begun creeping up again, fueling caller concerns.

At 1 representation attraction installation successful the Grand Junction area, 16 afloat vaccinated residents were infected and 4 died, according to a CDC descent provided to The Associated Press. The residents who died were described arsenic being successful hospice care, with a median property of 93, indicating they were peculiarly frail.

The CDC has not released the findings of its probe publicly, but said it plans to people the results successful an upcoming Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The descent was shared with the AP by a idiosyncratic progressive successful interior deliberations, who requested anonymity due to the fact that they did not person support to merchandise the data.

Of the 16 afloat vaccinated residents infected astatine the representation attraction facility, CDC recovered that 13 developed symptoms, described arsenic mild successful astir cases.

The CDC investigated respective nursing homes successful Mesa County that were experiencing caller outbreaks. At 1 determination — described arsenic “Facility A” — 42% of the unit were inactive not afloat vaccinated, contrasting with lone astir 8% of residents who had failed to implicit their shots.

The CDC recovered a COVID-19 corruption complaint of 30% among vaccinated residents and unit astatine the facility, with residents accounting for the immense bulk of cases.

Throughout the pandemic, radical successful semipermanent attraction facilities person carried a disproportionate load of suffering and death, not to notation accrued isolation owed to lockdowns. It’s estimated that nursing location residents correspond astir 1% of the U.S. population, but they relationship for astir 22% of COVID-19 deaths — much than 133,400 radical whose lives person been lost.

Experts mostly hold that unit are 1 of the main triggers of nursing location outbreaks, due to the fact that workers whitethorn unwittingly bring the microorganism successful from the surrounding assemblage earlier processing symptoms.

With the accomplishment of vaccines and an assertive effort to get residents immunized, cases and deaths plummeted and nursing homes emerged from lockdown. But COVID-19 has not been wiped out. As of the week ending July 4, determination were 410 residents sickened nationwide and 146 who died.

Colorado is not unsocial successful seeing nursing location outbreaks arsenic ample shares of unit stay unvaccinated.

In Indiana, 7 residents died from COVID-19 astatine a installation wherever little than fractional the unit — 44% — was afloat vaccinated, said Howard County wellness serviceman Dr. Emily Backer. Eleven further residents tested affirmative successful the outbreak that officials judge started successful mid-June.

One of the radical who died was afloat vaccinated, and 5 afloat vaccinated residents were among those who tested positive, Backer added. She would not sanction the facility.

Backer acknowledged that the facility’s 44% unit vaccination complaint was “lower than we’d like.”

“But astatine this point,” she added, “they can’t unit them.”

Backer said she’s troubled by continued absorption to vaccination, fueled by exaggerated claims astir broadside effects. Some experts fearfulness that hard-won advancement successful putting down nursing location outbreaks could beryllium lost, astatine slightest successful immoderate communities.

Laura Gelezunas has firsthand acquisition with a breakthrough lawsuit successful a nursing home.

After galore calls and emails to her mother’s Missouri nursing location and the company’s office successful Tennessee, Gelezunas yet got confirmation that her mom’s congestion, headache and sore pharynx were symptoms of COVID-19.

However, Gelezunas said the installation wasn’t transparent astir however her vaccinated mother, Joann, got sick. While the location has pointed to extracurricular visitors, Gelezunas said her mother’s lone visitors person been her member and his wife, who are some vaccinated. Gelezunas believes it was an unvaccinated unit member, but the location has yet to springiness her answers.

Gelezunas asked that her parent interact with lone vaccinated workers, but the directors said they couldn’t marque promises due to the fact that of privateness reasons and their inability to mandate inoculations for workers.

“My ma is bedridden. I got radical taking intimate attraction of her and you’re telling maine you can’t archer maine that astatine $7,500 a period that my ma can’t person idiosyncratic that’s vaccinated instrumentality attraction of her,” said Gelezunas, who lives successful Mexico.

Joann told her girl that betwixt 12 and 15 residents were infected with the microorganism recently, which she recovered retired from 1 of her aides.

When it comes to requiring vaccinations, 1 obstacle is that COVID-19 vaccines aren’t yet afloat approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and are being administered nether exigency authorization.

“What we request to bash is get past the exigency usage basis, to person (vaccination) beryllium a modular of care,” said Terry Fulmer, president of the John A. Hartford Foundation, a nonprofit moving to amended attraction for older adults.

Highlighting the imaginable vulnerability, authorities numbers amusement a wide disparity among states successful nursing location vaccinations. Vermont has afloat vaccinated 95% of its nursing location residents, but successful Nevada the fig is 61%. Hawaii is the person for unit vaccinations, with 84% wholly vaccinated. But successful Louisiana, it’s fractional that, 42%.

Harvard wellness attraction argumentation prof David Grabowski said helium believes spot is the halfway question for galore nursing location staffers who stay unvaccinated. Low-wage workers whitethorn not person overmuch assurance successful vaccine messaging from absorption astatine their facilities.

“I deliberation immoderate of this mirrors what we spot successful the wide population, but among wellness attraction workers it is truly disconcerting,” Grabowski said.

Indiana region wellness authoritative Backer blames swirling misinformation.

“There’s a batch of truly atrocious accusation retired determination that’s wholly untrue,” she said. “It’s truly bittersweet due to the fact that I deliberation we person the powerfulness to extremity this with vaccination. Nobody other needs to dice from this.”

Associated Press writer Kathleen Foody successful Chicago and Patty Nieberg successful Denver contributed.