Nursing homes see sharp drop in COVID positives

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the country that provide care to approximately 5 million people each year, released a report showing nursing homes in the U.S. have seen the lowest number of new COVID cases since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services started tracking back in May 2020, suggesting that the vaccines are working.
Recent CMS data shows that nursing homes have seen an 82% decline in new COVID cases among residents since the peak during the week of Dec. 20 of last year when there were more than 30,000 new resident cases. In the same period of time, community cases in the general population dropped by 46%, showcasing that vaccines are having an impact in protecting the elderly population in nursing homes.
“We still have a long road ahead, but these numbers are incredibly encouraging and a major morale booster for frontline caregivers who have been working tirelessly every day for a year to protect our residents,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “This new data showcases just how important it is for nursing homes residents and staff, as well as the general public, to get the vaccine because it is clearly working.”
The report also shows cases have dropped to the lowest level since CMS started tracking weekly COVID cases in nursing homes last May.