Less than 3% of Iowa nursing home workers are up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations
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Just over 43% of residents and fewer than 2.5% of staff in Iowa nursing homes are up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations, per CDC data reported this month.
Why it matters: COVID cases are rising across the country as health officials prepare for another winter season of fighting respiratory diseases, Axios' Tina Reed reports.
Flashback: Hundreds of thousands of residents and staff died of COVID during the pandemic, highlighting how nursing homes can quickly become overwhelmed by the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, the national vaccination mandate for health care workers was lifted this year.
The big picture: Roughly 25% of residents and 2% of nursing home staffers are up to date with COVID vaccinations across the U.S., according to CDC data.
- Of Iowa's surrounding states, only South Dakota (54.1%) has higher nursing home resident vaccination rates.