According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)’s COVID-19 Dashboard, California has the second highest rate of vaccinated nursing home staff in the country, behind only Hawaii. 79.5% of California nursing home staff are vaccinated as of July 18, compared to the lowest-ranked state, Louisiana, where 44% of staff are vaccinated.
California also has some of the highest rates of vaccinated nursing home residents in the country, at 81.4%. It ranks around the middle for rates of both staff and resident COVID cases.
Below is a chart of COVID cases among California nursing home residents, showing the state to have 11 COVID cases per 100 residents.
The state’s nation-leading data doesn’t mean its nursing homes haven’t suffered from COVID. When California’s COVID surge was at its peak last winter, 80 nursing home residents died of COVID per day, according to CalMatters.
COVID trends in California nursing homes have more or less followed statewide COVID trends, according to this graph from the California Department of Public Health.
After individuals 65 and older became eligible for the vaccine early this year, the state carried out mass vaccination campaigns for the population, likely contributing a great deal to the population’s current 78% vaccination rate. On August 5th, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced all health care workers in the state will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30.