Despite vaccines, nursing homes struggle with COVID-19 outbreaks

(AP) — Nursing homes across the country are still reporting scattered COVID-19 outbreaks and COVID-associated deaths, albeit at much smaller rates than during the height of the pandemic.

Those facilities are subsequently following federal and state recommendations to pause visitations, causing disappointment and frustration among family members who hoped to get back to normal once the residents were fully vaccinated.

More often, staff are the ones infected. Outbreaks have also been linked to new, unvaccinated nursing home residents.

Federal data show there were 472 nursing home deaths in the first two weeks of May, down from 10,675 in the first two weeks of January.