Many Nursing Home Workers Refused COVID-19 Vaccine Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Less Than Half of Nursing Home Workers Got COVID Shots in First Round CDC Says

Low figure puts pressure on next round of vaccinations now underway

Karen Ducey/Stringer/Getty Images Only slightly more than a third of nursing home workers who have been offered a first round of COVID-19 vaccine have chosen to get it, according to . The findings come just after the federal partnership with CVS and Walgreens to prioritize nursing home residents and staff for vaccinations wrapped up its first round of on-site vaccinations. Participation among nursing home residents — who have accounted for roughly a quarter of COVID deaths since the pandemic began — was much higher, with a median of 78 percent getting the first of two required jabs. But surveying roughly 90 percent of facilities participating in the federal program that had at least one on-site vaccination clinic between Dec. 18 and Jan. 17, the CDC found that only a median of 37.5 percent of nursing home workers received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The numbers are worrying because about 70 to 85 percent of a community needs to get vaccinated to achieve , according to some medical experts. The CDC report said the low percentage of staff members vaccinated “raises concern about low coverage among a population at high risk for occupation exposure to SARS-CoV-2.” "Barriers to [skilled nursing facility] staff member vaccination need to be overcome with continued development and implementation of focused communication and outreach strategies,” said the report, released Monday. Last week, CVS and Walgreens announced the of on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinics in U.S. nursing homes through the federal government's . CVS reported visiting all of the almost 8,000 facilities that chose the pharmacy to administer its vaccines, while Walgreens said it visited more than 5,500 facilities. COVID-19 infections in nursing homes have been spiraling upward in recent months, according to . Staff cases more than tripled between mid-October and mid-December, as resident cases skyrocketed almost fourfold over the same period. Studies show that infected staff members are one of the greatest drivers of COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes. Because the federal government has contracted with CVS, Walgreens and a few state-level pharmacy chains to perform just three on-site vaccination clinics at each of its partnering facilities, pressure is mounting for the second round of clinics, which have already begun, to produce higher uptake rates. that nursing home staff have endured for years. “These workers are poorly paid, get few benefits or sick leave and receive very little information and support when they need it,” she says. “Can you blame them for not rushing to get a shot they know very little about, from [the nursing homes] who have treated them so badly?"

The roots of staff skepticism

Entertainment $3 off popcorn and soft drink combos See more Entertainment offers > The national findings match anecdotal evidence that's been echoing through the states for weeks. Maryland's acting secretary of health, Dennis R. Schrader, pegged his nursing home staff refusal rate at somewhere between 50 and 65 percent. In Virginia, Christian Bergman, a member of the state's COVID-19 long-term care task force, estimated that as many as 90 percent of workers had turned down the vaccine at some homes. Many long-term care workers are skipping COVID-19 vaccines because they're concerned that the shots are ineffective or unsafe, the CDC says. Worries about , which have so far been minimal from first doses, are also driving resistance. The report cites that found that among the 55 percent of workers in Indiana who said they would decline a COVID-19 vaccine if offered, 70 percent mentioned side effects as the primary reason. Many long-term care workers are hourly employees with little to no sick leave or benefits and may not be able to afford to get sick from side effects. Certified nursing assistants, who make up the overwhelming majority of care workers at nursing homes, make less than $15 per hour on average, and getting to work is often their top priority.

Added pressure on second rounds

Now, the pressure is on the second round of nursing home vaccination clinics to reach those who've been missed. Both authorized in the U.S., from Pfizer and Moderna, require two doses administered up to six weeks apart. Missing a first dose during the second clinic will make it all but impossible for workers to get fully vaccinated through the on-site program. As Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said in a December address to his state's nursing home workers — of whom 60 percent were reportedly declining first doses — “The train may not be coming back.” AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe .

Signs of improvement

Anecdotal evidence from second-round clinics now taking place suggests that vaccine uptake among staff is improving. The Associated Press , in a meeting on vaccine policy, Amanda Cohn, the CDC's deputy director of immunization services, said more staffers get vaccinated when a second or third clinic is held at a home. And a CVS spokesperson that they are seeing a higher uptake by staff members on their second visits. Sondra Norder sees the improvements at St. Paul Elder Services in Wisconsin, where she is president and CEO. During the first on-site clinic at her skilled nursing facilities, only 66 percent of staff received a vaccine. On Monday, during the second clinic, that number jumped to 75 percent. Disclosure: Mike Wasserman sits on the board of AARP charitable affiliate Wish of a Lifetime. More on caregiving AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS