COVID-19 vaccinations picking up at long-term care facilities
After a rocky start, officials at Illinois’ long-term care facilities say they are pleased with where things are at with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
Through the first month of the federal program to administer the vaccines at long-term care facilities, nearly 78 percent of residents nationally at skilled nursing facilities received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We felt that it could have started a little sooner here in Illinois, but we’re happy that it’s underway,” said Matt Hartman, executive director of the Illinois Health Care Association. “We’re happy that we’re seeing high take rates with residents, we’re happy that staff are coming around and doing it and we’re ecstatic to see infection rates have gone down.”
The federal government is partnering with Walgreens and CVS to administer the vaccines at long-term care facilities, and a slow rollout led to finger-pointing between state officials and the national pharmacies.
Of the 496,100 doses allocated to long-term care facilities in Illinois, 216,522 doses have been administered.
But that pace has started to increase.
Walgreens-partnered skilled nursing facilities are 94 percent done with their second of three vaccine clinics in the non-Chicago parts of Illinois as of Tuesday, while 69 percent are done in Chicago. Less than 5 percent of the third clinics have begun. It’s anticipated that three on-site clinics will be needed at most facilities to ensure that all willing staff and residents get a shot.
Walgreens-partnered assisted living facilities are 81 percent done with first clinics in the non-Chicago parts of Illinois as of Tuesday, while 92 percent are done in Chicago.
CVS-partnered skilled nursing facilities are 93 percent done with their second of three vaccine clinics in both Chicago and the rest of Illinois as of Tuesday.
CVS-partnered assisted living facilities are 66 percent done with their first clinics in the non-Chicago parts of Illinois as of Tuesday, while 48 percent are done in Chicago.
While the majority of long-term care residents have received their first dose, just 37.5 percent of staff members across the country have, according to the CDC.
Hartman and Karen Messer, president of LeadingAge Illinois, said they did not have exact figures of how many staff at their members’ facilities were vaccinated, though both said staffers have been more willing to receive their dose upon the second visit.
“Some of the staff said that they wanted to wait on the second clinic to receive their first dose,” Messer said. “So some of them may have been picked up at that point, and then will receive their second dose during the third clinic visit, because they wanted to see how their peers handled the vaccine when they visited the first time.”
Efforts are underway to help educate staff members about the importance of vaccinations. That includes providing Q&A type documents put together by advocacy groups and showing a video in each facility put together by Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike urging cooperation. Some facilities are bringing in local health officials to meet with staff and residents to answer any questions.
Matt Pickering, executive director of the Health Care Council of Illinois, said in a statement they were “working diligently” to empower staff to make informed decisions to be vaccinated.
“The vaccine is a vital step forward in the fight against this virus,” he said. “We are grateful for the hard work that has allowed each skilled nursing facility in the state to be offered its first round of vaccinations.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health has reported that 9,571 COVID-related deaths have been linked to Illinois long-term care facilities as of last Friday. At least 73,286 long-term care facility residents or workers have tested positive for COVID-19.
