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Nursing home staff in Florida is the second least vaccinated state for COVID-19 because the state is facing a surge in new infections caused by the toxic Delta variant.
According to data released by the American Association of Retired Persons on Tuesday, only 41.8% of Florida nursing home staff have been fully vaccinated with the virus, not far from the national low of 41.1% in Louisiana. In Hawaii, which ranks high, nearly 84% of employees are vaccinated, while the national average vaccination rate for nursing home employees is 56%.
The vaccination rate for residents of nursing homes in Florida also lags behind most other states, with a vaccination rate of 68.1 which is the third lowest in the country. Due to the aging population, the number of residents in nursing homes may increase. According to the Population Reference Bureau, Florida has the second largest number of residents over 65 in the United States.
At the same time, new cases of the virus surged in the Sunshine State. Cases in Florida almost double every week and now account for approximately 20% of all new cases in the United States. Although the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data (CDC) Showed that more than 55% of state residents received at least one dose of the vaccine, and the vast majority of new cases were not vaccinated.
Mary Daniels, whose husband is a resident of a long-term care facility, questioned why nursing home staff who cared about residents refused to get vaccinated in their comments to Tampa ABC Attached to WFTS. Daniels is the founder of Caregivers for Compromise, an organization that advocates family visitation rights during the pandemic.
Daniels said: “I received a notice about my facility yesterday. One of our staff has tested positive and visits have been closed.” “We can’t continue playing this table tennis game.”
“They care about the elderly; they care about the disabled, and if this is the case, then you work in an environment like an inpatient facility, where there are residents, then you must be vaccinated,” she added.
Only 5% of nursing homes in Florida meet the industry target of at least 75% of employees’ vaccination rates. Nursing homes in most states are not up to standard. The only states where most nursing homes meet the benchmark are California, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The Delta variant is believed to be driving an increase in new cases, and the surge is now evident in most states. According to the CDC, this variant is more transmissible than previous strains and now accounts for the vast majority of COVID-19 cases in the United States, over 83%.
This variant also appears to be more resistant to vaccines than earlier strains, although more research is needed to determine the level of resistance. In any case, so-called “breakthrough” cases-those that occur in fully vaccinated people-still account for only a small percentage of new cases, with the vast majority occurring in the unvaccinated population.
Weekly newspaper Contact the Florida Governor’s Office Ron DeSantis comment.
