The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is effective for nursing home residents even if they have only received one dose, according to new research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC looked at two nursing homes in Connecticut that had COVID-19 outbreaks after their first vaccination clinic. It examined residents who had been “partially vaccinated,” defined as the period between two weeks after the first dose and within one week of the second dose. The Pfizer vaccine does not reach full effectiveness until two weeks after the second dose.
Among the partially vaccinated residents, the vaccine was 63% effective against COVID-19 infection.
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A total of 97 cases of COVID-19 were identified at the two facilities. Sixty-five of the cases occurred among residents who had either not been vaccinated or had been vaccinated less than two weeks prior to infection. Only 25 cases occurred among those who were partially vaccinated and only 7 cases among those fully vaccinated.
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities have been some of the hardest hit during the pandemic. An estimated 174,000 COVID-19-related deaths have occurred among residents and staff of long-term care facilities.
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The vaccines appear to have greatly improved outcomes for these facilities. COVID-19 cases in long-term care facilities have dropped 82% since vaccinations began in December, according to the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, an industry group.