CONNECTICUT – As the state runs out of breath from phase 1a to 1b of its plan to implant the coronavirus vaccine, it is worth taking a break to ask, “Is it working?”
Putting the drug in the arms of nursing home residents and employees of long-term care facilities, as well as frontline health professionals, was the main objective in phase 1a. Nursing homes were the hardest hit by the virus at the start of the pandemic, being a perfect storm of susceptibility: a congregated environment for the elderly. With the pivot for phase 1b (jabs for people over 75) in full swing, what kind of relief can be expected?
According to data made available by the state Department of Public Health, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes fell into free fall around the beginning of January, practically fitting with the implantation of the drug in these communities. More than 64,000 COVID-19 vaccines were administered to residents and nursing home workers in January, according to the Department of Public Health.
It’s good news, but it’s still a coincidence, for the half-empty crowd.
To take a look at your world in a few weeks or sometimes months in the future, public health predictors have been paying close attention to Israel. There, the launch was carried out with military efficiency and enviable speed. Given the country’s smaller size and the reported willingness to pay more for the drug, it is not surprising that there were less twists in the supply chain.
What do we know from watching the Israelis? The Pfizer vaccine is about 92 percent effective, which is more or less what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expected, based on accelerated testing of the drug. We also learned that people who received both vaccines develop more antibodies to the disease than recovered COVID-19 patients – but wait a minute. Clalit, Israel’s largest health maintenance organization, is reporting that between five and 12 days after receiving its first dose, people were just as likely to have positive results as were unvaccinated people. After two weeks, that number dropped 33%. The benefits for Israeli patients come about three days after what Pfizer reported in its phase 3 studies last year.
On January 28, 299,876 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered and another 64,379 second doses, for a total of 364,255 vaccinations in Connecticut. Although without Israel, the state is the fourth fastest per capita to launch the vaccine, which is unfortunately scarce.
Although the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in nursing homes may be dropping here at the beginning of the vaccine’s launch, the number of deaths from the disease is increasing (see graph). With 258 deaths in COVID-19 nursing homes in the first three weeks of January alone, Connecticut nursing homes are statistically as deadly places as they were at the beginning of the pandemic.
The DPH weekly nursing home report uses data sent to the National Healthcare Safety Network, which reflects the number of COVID-19-related cases and deaths that occurred in the previous week among residents and employees. CT DPH started reporting NHSN data from 17 June. Cumulative data for residents were restated on July 15 and again on July 21 to account for false positives detected that week. Due to different methods of collecting and processing data between the NHSN and the data sources used previously, DPH does not add data before and after rebaselining due to the possibility of duplication of cases and deaths between previous and current data.
You can browse the table page by page using the arrow in the upper right corner or search for information using the tool in the upper left corner of the graphs:
* Three Rivers Healthcare permanently closed on September 30, 2020.
** Cassena Care of New Britain permanently closed on December 19, 2020.
*** Meridian Manor permanently closed on January 7, 2021
Connecticut assisted living facilities are required by DPH to report the impact of COVID-19 on its residents and employees through the Long Term Care Mutual Aid Plan (LTC-MAP) web-based reporting system. This report is intended to reflect the recent activity of COVID-19 in assisted living facilities.
The CT DPH weekly assisted living report uses data sent to LTC-MAP that reflects the number of cases and deaths associated with COVID-19 that occurred in the previous week between residents and employees.
CT DPH started reporting LTC-MAP data on COVID-19 associated resident deaths on July 8, 2020. Due to the different data collection and processing methods between LTC-MAP and the previously used death data sources, cumulative death data for residents was redone on July 14, 2020. Death data for residents before and after July 14 should not be added due to the different definitions of deaths associated with COVID-19 used and the possibility of duplication of deaths between previous and current data.
You can browse the table page by page using the arrow in the upper right corner or search for information using the tool in the upper left corner of the graphs: