A COVID outbreak at a nursing home in Kentucky that left three of its residents dead was traced back to a single unvaccinated member of staff, according to a study from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
The outbreak was linked to 22 infections among employees and residents that had already been vaccinated against the virus.
Most of those who were infected with the coronavirus despite being vaccinated did not develop symptoms or require hospitalization, but one vaccinated individual, who was a resident of the nursing home died.
During the outbreak, 46 COVID-19 cases were identified, CDC said, including cases in 26 residents, where 18 were fully vaccinated, and 20 health care personnel, where four were vaccinated.
Two of the unvaccinated residents also died.
While 90 percent of the 83 residents at the Kentucky nursing home had been vaccinated, just 53 percent of the 116 employees had been vaccinated when the outbreak was identified in March of this year.
The outbreak involved the R.1 variant of the virus, which the CDC does not list as a variant of concern, according to the New York Times, but still contains multiple mutations in the spike protein that could make vaccines less effective.
The report underscores the importance of vaccinating residents and staff at nursing homes. The study finds attack rates were three to four times as high among unvaccinated residents and employees as among those who were vaccinated, and the vaccinated staff and residents were significantly less likely to experience symptoms or require hospitalization.
“To protect skilled nursing facility residents, it is imperative that health care providers, as well as skilled nursing facility residents, be vaccinated,” the study’s authors wrote.
Meanwhile, a separate study involving 78 nursing homes in the Chicago-area found 627 coronavirus infections. Only 22 were found in fully vaccinated individuals. Two-thirds of the cases in the vaccinated individuals were asymptomatic, but two residents were hospitalized, and one died.
The CDC says the Chicago study shows that nursing homes still need to follow recommended infection control practices, such as isolation and quarantine, use of personal protective equipment and doing routine testing, regardless of vaccination status.
