Resident Factors Associated with Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infections

Objective To examine incidence of and resident characteristics associated with BTIs and severe illness among residents with two mRNA vaccinations. Design Retrospective cohort study Setting and Participants Nursing home (NH) residents who completed their primary series of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination by March 31, 2021. Methods Electronic health records and Minimum Data Set assessments from a multi-state NH data consortium were used to identify BTI and severe illness (a composite measure of hospitalization and/or death within 30 days of BTI) occurring prior to November 24, 2021. A t-test for differences in means was used to compare covariates for residents with and without BTI. Finally, we estimated incidence-rate ratios (IRRs) for BTI with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a modified Poisson regression approach, comparing residents with BTI vs. residents without. We adjusted for facility-fixed effects in our model. Results Our sample included 23,172 residents from 984 NHs who were at least 14 days past their second mRNA vaccine dose. Of those, 1,173 (5%) developed an incident COVID-19 BTI (mean follow-up time: 250 days). Among residents with BTI, 8.6% were hospitalized or died within 30 days of BTI diagnosis. Factors associated with severe illness included age 85 years and older (IRR=2.08 [95% CI: 1.08-4.02], reference age <65 years), bowel incontinence (IRR=1.73 [95% CI: 1.01-2.99]), coronary artery disease (IRR 1.96 [95% CI: 1.31-2.94]), chronic kidney disease (IRR 1.65 [95% CI: 1.07-2.54]), and schizophrenia (IRR 2.38 [95% CI: 1.19-4.75]). Conclusions and Implications Among vaccinated NH residents, BTIs and associated severe illness are rare. Residents aged 85 years and older and with certain comorbidities appear to be the most vulnerable. Given that the pandemic continues and testing policies have relaxed, this data provides prognostic information for NH facilities faced with continued outbreaks.

Resident Factors Associated With Breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 Infections.

OBJECTIVE: To examine incidence of and resident characteristics associated with breakthrough infections (BTIs) and severe illness among residents with 2 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccinations. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home (NH) residents who completed their primary series of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination by March 31, 2021. METHODS: Electronic health records and Minimum Data Set assessments from a multistate NH data consortium were used to identify BTI and severe illness (a composite measure of hospitalization and/or death within 30 days of BTI) occurring prior to November 24, 2021. A t test for differences in means was used to compare covariates for residents with and without BTI. Finally, we estimated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for BTI with 95% CIs using a modified Poisson regression approach, comparing residents with BTI vs residents without. We adjusted for facility fixed effects in our model. RESULTS: Our sample included 23,172 residents from 984 NHs who were at least 14 days past their second mRNA vaccine dose. Of those, 1173 (5%) developed an incident COVID-19 BTI (mean follow-up time: 250 days). Among residents with BTI, 8.6% were hospitalized or died within 30 days of BTI diagnosis. Factors associated with severe illness included age ≥85 years (IRR 2.08, 95% CI 1.08-4.02, reference age <65 years), bowel incontinence (IRR 1.73, 95% CI 1.01-2.99), coronary artery disease (IRR 1.96, 95% CI 1.31-2.94), chronic kidney disease (IRR 1.65, 95% CI 1.07-2.54), and schizophrenia (IRR 2.38, 95% CI 1.19-4.75). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Among vaccinated NH residents, BTIs and associated severe illness are rare. Residents aged ≥85 years and with certain comorbidities appear to be the most vulnerable. Given that the pandemic continues and testing policies have relaxed, these data provide prognostic information for NH facilities faced with continued outbreaks.

Differences In Nursing Home Staff COVID-19 Testing Rates And Odds Of Vaccination Across Work Shifts.

COVID-19 vaccination and regular testing of nursing home staff have been critical interventions for mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks in US nursing homes. Although implementation of testing has largely been left to nursing home organizations to coordinate, vaccination occurred through a combination of state, federal, and organization efforts. Little research has focused on structural variation in these processes. We examined whether one structural factor, the primary shift worked by staff, was associated with differences in COVID-19 testing rates and odds of vaccination, using staff-level data from a multistate sample of 294 nursing homes. In facility fixed effects analyses, we found that night-shift staff had the lowest testing rates and lowest odds of vaccination, whereas day-shift staff had the highest testing rates and odds of vaccination. These findings highlight the need to coordinate resources and communication evenly across shifts when implementing large-scale processes in nursing homes and other organizations with shift-based workforces.

Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Among US Nursing Home Residents With vs Without a SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Booster.

Importance: A SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster dose has been recommended for all nursing home residents. However, data on the effectiveness of an mRNA vaccine booster in preventing infection, hospitalization, and death in this vulnerable population are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the association between receipt of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine booster and prevention of infection, hospitalization, or death among nursing home residents. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study emulated sequentially nested target trials for vaccination using data from 2 large multistate US nursing home systems: Genesis HealthCare, a community nursing home operator (system 1) and Veterans Health Administration community living centers (VHA CLCs; system 2). The cohort included long-term (≥100 days) nursing home residents (10 949 residents from 202 community nursing homes and 4321 residents from 128 VHA CLCs) who completed a 2-dose series of an mRNA vaccine (either BNT162b2 [Pfizer-BioNTech] or mRNA-1273 [Moderna]) and were eligible for a booster dose between September 22 and November 30, 2021. Residents were followed up until March 8, 2022. Exposures: Receipt of a third mRNA vaccine dose, defined as a booster dose (boosted group), or nonreceipt of a booster dose (unboosted group) on an eligible target trial date. If participants in the unboosted group received a booster dose on a later target trial date, they were included in the booster group for that target trial; thus, participants could be included in both the boosted and unboosted groups. Main Outcomes and Measures: Test-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalization, or death was followed up to 12 weeks after booster vaccination. The primary measure of estimated vaccine effectiveness was the ratio of cumulative incidences in the boosted group vs the unboosted group at week 12, adjusted with inverse probability weights for treatment and censoring. Results: System 1 included 202 community nursing homes; among 8332 boosted residents (5325 [63.9%] female; 6685 [80.2%] White) vs 10 886 unboosted residents (6865 [63.1%] female; 8651 [79.5%] White), the median age was 78 (IQR, 68-87) years vs 78 (IQR, 68-86) years. System 2 included 128 VHA CLCs; among 3289 boosted residents (3157 [96.0%] male; 1950 [59.3%] White) vs 4317 unboosted residents (4151 [96.2%] male; 2434 [56.4%] White), the median age was 74 (IQR, 70-80) vs 74 (IQR, 69-80) years. Booster vaccination was associated with reductions in SARS-CoV-2 infections of 37.7% (95% CI, 25.4%-44.2%) in system 1 and 57.7% (95% CI, 43.5%-67.8%) in system 2. For hospitalization, reductions of 74.4% (95% CI, 44.6%-86.2%) in system 1 and 64.1% (95% CI, 41.3%-76.0%) in system 2 were observed. Estimated vaccine effectiveness for death associated with SARS-CoV-2 was 87.9% (95% CI, 75.9%-93.9%) in system 1; however, although a reduction in death was observed in system 2 (46.6%; 95% CI, -34.6% to 94.8%), this reduction was not statistically significant. A total of 45 SARS-CoV-2-associated deaths occurred in system 1 and 18 deaths occurred in system 2. For the combined end point of SARS-CoV-2-associated hospitalization or death, boosted residents in system 1 had an 80.3% (95% CI, 65.7%-88.5%) reduction, and boosted residents in system 2 had a 63.8% (95% CI, 41.4%-76.1%) reduction. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, during a period in which both the Delta and Omicron variants were circulating, SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccination was associated with significant reductions in SARS-CoV-2 infections, hospitalizations, and the combined end point of hospitalization or death among residents of 2 US nursing home systems. These findings suggest that administration of vaccine boosters to nursing home residents may have an important role in preventing COVID-19-associated morbidity and mortality.

The Long-Term Care Data Cooperative: The Next Generation of Data Integration.

Despite important advances in the linkage of residents' Medicare claims and Minimum Data Set (MDS) information, the data infrastructure for long-term care remains inadequate for public health surveillance and clinical research. It is widely known that the evidence base supporting treatment decisions for older nursing home residents is scant as residents are systematically excluded from clinical trials. Electronic health records (EHRs) hold the promise to improve this population's representation in clinical research, especially with the more timely and detailed clinical information available in EHRs that are lacking in claims and MDS. The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the data gap in nursing homes. To address this need, the National Institute on Aging funded the Long-Term Care (LTC) Data Cooperative, a collaboration among providers and stakeholders in academia, government, and the private sector. The LTC Data Cooperative assembles residents' EHRs from major specialty vendors and facilitates linkage of these data with Medicare claims to create a comprehensive, longitudinal patient record. These data serve 4 key purposes: (1) health care operations and population health analytics; (2) public health surveillance; (3) observational, comparative effectiveness research; and (4) clinical research studies, including provider and patient recruitment into Phase 3 and Phase 4 randomized trials. Federally funded researchers wanting to conduct pragmatic trials can now enroll their partnering sites in this Cooperative to more easily access the clinical data needed to close the evidence gaps in LTC. Linkage to Medicare data facilitates tracking patients' long-term outcomes after being discharged back to the community. As of August 2022, nearly 1000 nursing homes have joined, feedback reports to facilities are being piloted, algorithms for identifying infections are being tested, and proposals for use of the data have been reviewed and approved. This emerging EHR system is a substantial innovation in the richness and timeliness of the data infrastructure of the nursing home population.

Effectiveness of a Second COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose Against Infection, Hospitalization, or Death Among Nursing Home Residents - 19 States, March 29-July 25, 2022.

Nursing home residents continue to experience significant COVID-19 morbidity and mortality (1). On March 29, 2022, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended a second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for adults aged ≥50 years and all immunocompromised persons who had received a first booster ≥4 months earlier.* On September 1, 2022, ACIP voted to recommend bivalent mRNA COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all persons aged ≥12 years who had completed the primary series using monovalent vaccines ≥2 months earlier (2). Data on COVID-19 booster dose vaccine effectiveness (VE) in the nursing home population are limited (3). For this analysis, academic, federal, and private partners evaluated routine care data collected from 196 U.S. community nursing homes to estimate VE of a second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster dose among nursing home residents who had received 3 previous COVID-19 vaccine doses (2 primary series doses and 1 booster dose). Residents who received second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster doses during March 29-June 15, 2022, with follow-up through July 25, 2022, were found to have 60-day VE of 25.8% against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19 infection), 73.9% against severe COVID-19 outcomes (a combined endpoint of COVID-19-associated hospitalizations or deaths), and 89.6% against COVID-19-associated deaths alone. During this period, subvariants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 (March-June 2022), and BA.4 and BA.5 (July 2022) of the B.1.1.529 and BA.2 (Omicron) variant were predominant. These findings suggest that among nursing home residents, second mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster doses provided additional protection over first booster doses against severe COVID-19 outcomes during a time of emerging Omicron variants. Facilities should continue to ensure that nursing home residents remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccination, including bivalent vaccine booster doses, to prevent severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Evaluation of a state-wide effort to improve COVID-19 infection control in Massachusetts nursing homes.

BACKGROUND: During the deadly 2020 SARS-CoV-2 surge in nursing homes (NHs), Massachusetts (MA) initiated a multicomponent infection control intervention to mitigate its spread. METHODS: We aimed to assess the intervention's impact by comparing the weekly risk of PCR-confirmed infections among MA NH residents to those in neighboring New England states, all managed similarly by a single NH provider. We studied 2085 residents in 20 MA NHs and 4493 residents in 45 comparator facilities. The intervention included: (1) A 28-item infection control checklist of best practices, (2) incentive payments to NHs contingent on scoring ≥24 on the checklist, meeting 6 core competencies, testing residents and staff for SARS-COV-2 RNA, uploading data, and enabling virtual visits; (3) on-site and virtual infection control consultations for deficient facilities; (4) 6 weekly webinars; (5) continuous communication with the MA Department of Public Health; and (6) access to personal protective equipment, temporary staff, and SARS-CoV-2 testing. Weekly rates of infection were adjusted for county COVID-19 prevalence. RESULTS: The adjusted risk of infection started higher in MA, but declined more rapidly in its NHs compared to similarly managed facilities in other states. The decline in infection risk during the early intervention period was 53% greater in MA than in Comparator States (state-by-time interaction HR = 0.47; 95% CI 0.37-0.59). By the late intervention period, the risk of infection continued to decline in both groups, and the change from baseline in MA was marginally greater than that in the Comparator States (interaction HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.64-1.00). CONCLUSIONS: The MA NH intervention was associated with a more rapid reduction in the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections compared to similarly managed NHs in neighboring states. Although several unmeasured factors may have confounded our results, implementation of the MA model may help rapidly reduce high rates of infection and prevent future COVID-19 surges in NHs.

Factors Affecting SARS-CoV-2 Test Discordance in Skilled Nursing Facilities.

OBJECTIVES: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antigen tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are sometimes discordant. We evaluated the discordance between antigen and PCR tests sampled in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to assess the relationship of symptom presence, timing between tests, and the presence of a facility outbreak. DESIGN: Observational study using electronic health record data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Residents of 306 SNFs in 23 states, operated by 1 company. METHODS: We identified all rapid antigen and PCR tests conducted in study SNFs as of January 10, 2021, and classified whether symptoms were present and whether the facility was in outbreak at time of testing. We calculated the proportions of antigen tests with discordant follow-up PCR results conducted no more than 2 days after the antigen test. RESULTS: Of the 171,280 antigen tests in 34,437 SNF residents, 20,991 (12.3%) were followed by a PCR test within 2 days. A total of 1324 negative antigen tests were followed by a positive PCR result, representing 0.8% of all antigen tests and 6.3% of repeated antigen tests; while 337 positive antigen tests were followed by a negative PCR result, representing 0.2% of all antigen tests and 1.6% of repeated antigen tests. Discordance more often occurred when residents were symptomatic at time of antigen testing, during known facility outbreaks, and when the antigen test was compared with a PCR test done within 2 days vs 1 day. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Overall, discordance between SARS-CoV-2 antigen and PCR tests was low. Discordance was more common when the individual was symptomatic at time of antigen testing and during facility outbreaks. This suggests that a testing strategy which couples widespread use of antigen tests with clinical thresholds to conduct follow-up confirmatory PCR testing appears to perform well in SNFs, where timely and accurate SARS-CoV-2 case identification are critical.

Incidence and Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 in Post-Acute Skilled Nursing Facility Care.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 during a post-acute skilled nursing facility (SNF) stay and the associated risk of death. DESIGN: Cohort study using Minimum Data Set and electronic health record data from a large multistate long-term care provider. Primary outcomes included testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 during the post-acute SNF stay, and death among those who tested positive. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The sample included all new admissions to the provider's 286 SNFs between January 1 and December 31, 2020. Patients known to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 at the time of admission were excluded. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality rates were measured in time intervals by month of admission. A parametric survival model with SNF random effects was used to measure the association of patient demographic factors, clinical characteristics, and month of admission, with testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. RESULTS: The sample included 45,094 post-acute SNF admissions. Overall, 5.7% of patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within 100 days of admission, with 1.0% testing positive within 1-14 days, 1.4% within 15-30 days, and 3.4% within 31-100 days. Of all newly admitted patients, 0.8% contracted SARS-CoV-2 and died, whereas 6.7% died without known infection. Infection rates and subsequent risk of death were highest for patients admitted during the first and third US pandemic waves. Patients with greater cognitive and functional impairment had a 1.45 to 1.92 times higher risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 than patients with less impairment. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The absolute risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and death during a post-acute SNF admission was 0.8%. Those who did contract SARS-CoV-2 during their SNF stay had nearly double the rate of death as those who were not infected. Findings from this study provide context for people requiring post-acute care, and their support systems, in navigating decisions around SNF admission during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Electronic Health Records to Rapidly Assess Biosimilar Uptake: An Example Using Insulin Glargine in a Large U.S. Nursing Home Cohort.

Large healthcare administrative databases, like Medicare claims, are a common means to evaluate drug policies. However, administrative data often have a lag time of months to years before they are available to researchers and decision-makers. Therefore, administrative data are not always ideal for timely policy evaluations. Other sources of data are needed to rapidly evaluate policy changes and inform subsequent studies that utilize large administrative data once available. An emerging area of interest in both pharmacoepidemiology and drug policy research that can benefit from rapid data availability is biosimilar uptake, due to the potential for substantial cost savings. To respond to the need for such a data source, we established a public-private partnership to create a near-real-time database of over 1,000 nursing homes' electronic health records to describe and quantify the effects of recent policies related to COVID-19 and medications. In this article, we first describe the components and infrastructure used to create our EHR database. Then, we provide an example that illustrates the use of this database by describing the uptake of insulin glargine-yfgn, a new exchangeable biosimilar for insulin glargine, in US nursing homes. We also examine the uptake of all biosimilars in nursing homes before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude with potential directions for future research and database infrastructure.

Adverse events following third dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination among nursing home residents who received the primary series.

BACKGROUND: We sought to compare rates of adverse events among nursing home residents who received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine booster dose with those who had not yet received their booster. METHODS: We assessed a prospective cohort of 11,200 nursing home residents who received a primary COVID-19 mRNA vaccine series at least 6 months prior to September 22, 2021 and received a third "booster dose" between September 22, 2021 and February 2, 2022. Residents lived in 239 nursing homes operated by Genesis HealthCare, spanning 21 U.S. states. We screened electronic health records for 20 serious vaccine-related adverse events that are monitored following receipt of COVID-19 vaccination by the CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink. We matched boosted and yet-to-be boosted residents during the same time period, comparing rates of events occurring 14 days after booster administration with those occurring 14 days prior to booster administration. To supplement previously reported background rates of adverse events, we report background rates of medical conditions among nursing home residents during 2020, before COVID-19 vaccines were administered in nursing homes. Events occurring in 2021-2022 were confirmed by physician chart review. We report unadjusted rates of adverse events and used a false discovery rate procedure to adjust for multiplicity of events tested. RESULTS: No adverse events were reported during the 14 days post-booster. A few adverse events occurred prior to booster (ischemic stroke: 49.4 per 100,000 residents, 95% CI: 21.2, 115.7; venous thromboembolism: 9.9 per 100,000 residents, 95% CI: 1.7, 56.0), though differences in event rates pre- versus post-booster were not statistically significant (p < 0.05) after adjusting for multiple comparisons. No significant differences were detected between post-booster vaccination rates and prior year 14-day background rates of medical conditions. CONCLUSIONS: No safety signals were detected following a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine booster dose in this large multi-state sample of nursing home residents.

The Effect of Race and Dementia Prevalence on a COVID-19 Infection Control Intervention in Massachusetts Nursing Homes.

BACKGROUND: Nursing home (NH) residents, especially those who were Black or with dementia, had the highest infection rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 9-week COVID-19 infection control intervention in 360 Massachusetts NHs showed adherence to an infection control checklist with proper personal protective equipment (PPE) use and cohorting was associated with declines in weekly infection rates. NHs were offered weekly webinars, answers to infection control questions, resources to acquire PPE, backup staff, and SARS-CoV-2 testing. We asked whether the effect of this intervention differed by racial and dementia composition of the NHs. METHODS: Data were obtained from 4 state audits using infection control checklists, weekly infection rates, and Minimum Data Set variables on race and dementia to determine whether adherence to checklist competencies was associated with decline in average weekly rates of new COVID-19 infections. RESULTS: Using a mixed-effects hurdle model, adjusted for county COVID-19 prevalence, we found the overall effect of the intervention did not differ by racial composition, but proper cohorting of residents was associated with a greater reduction in infection rates among facilities with ≥20% non-Whites (n = 83). Facilities in the middle (>50%-62%; n = 121) and upper (>62%; n = 115) tertiles of dementia prevalence had the largest reduction in infection rates as checklist scores improved. Cohorting was associated with greater reductions in infection rates among facilities in the middle and upper tertiles of dementia prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to proper infection control procedures, particularly cohorting of residents, can reduce COVID-19 infections, even in facilities with high percentages of high-risk residents (non-White and dementia).

Evaluating the Findings of the IMPACT-C Randomized Clinical Trial to Improve COVID-19 Vaccine Coverage in Skilled Nursing Facilities.

IMPORTANCE: Identifying successful strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccination among skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents and staff is integral to preventing future outbreaks in a continually overwhelmed system. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a multicomponent vaccine campaign would increase vaccine rates among SNF residents and staff. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a cluster randomized trial with a rapid timeline (December 2020-March 2021) coinciding with the Pharmacy Partnership Program (PPP). It included 133 SNFs in 4 health care systems across 16 states: 63 and 70 facilities in the intervention and control arms, respectively, and participants included 7496 long-stay residents (>100 days) and 17 963 staff. INTERVENTIONS: Multicomponent interventions were introduced at the facility level that included: (1) educational material and electronic messaging for staff; (2) town hall meetings with frontline staff (nurses, nurse aides, dietary, housekeeping); (3) messaging from community leaders; (4) gifts (eg, T-shirts) with socially concerned messaging; (5) use of a specialist to facilitate consent with residents' proxies; and (6) funds for additional COVID-19 testing of staff/residents. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes of this study were the proportion of residents (from electronic medical records) and staff (from facility logs) who received a COVID-19 vaccine (any), examined as 2 separate outcomes. Mixed-effects generalized linear models with a binomial distribution were used to compare outcomes between arms, using intent-to-treat approach. Race was examined as an effect modifier in the resident outcome model. RESULTS: Most facilities were for-profit (95; 71.4%), and 1973 (26.3%) of residents were Black. Among residents, 82.5% (95% CI, 81.2%-83.7%) were vaccinated in the intervention arm, compared with 79.8% (95% CI, 78.5%-81.0%) in the usual care arm (marginal difference 0.8%; 95% CI, -1.9% to 3.7%). Among staff, 49.5% (95% CI, 48.4%-50.6%) were vaccinated in the intervention arm, compared with 47.9% (95% CI, 46.9%-48.9%) in usual care arm (marginal difference: -0.4%; 95% CI, -4.2% to 3.1%). There was no association of race with the outcome among residents. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: A multicomponent vaccine campaign did not have a significant effect on vaccination rates among SNF residents or staff. Among residents, vaccination rates were high. However, half the staff remained unvaccinated despite these efforts. Vaccination campaigns to target SNF staff will likely need to use additional approaches. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04732819.

Effect of Race and Dementia Prevalence on a COVID-19 Infection Control Intervention in Massachusetts Nursing Homes

Nursing home (NH) residents, especially those who were Black or had dementia, had the highest infection rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 9-week COVID-19 infection control intervention in 360 Massachusetts NHs showed that adherence to an infection control checklist with proper PPE use and cohorting, was associated with declines in weekly infection rates. NHs were offered weekly webinars, answers to infection control questions, resources to acquire personal protective equipment, backup staff, and SARS-CoV-2 testing. We asked whether the effect of this intervention differed by racial and dementia composition of the NHs. Data were obtained from 4 state audits using infection control checklists, weekly infection rates, and Minimum Data Set variables on race and dementia to determine whether adherence to the checklist competencies was associated with decline in average weekly rates of new COVID-19 infections. Using a mixed effects hurdle model, adjusted for county COVID-19 prevalence, we found that the overall effect of the intervention did not differ by race, but proper cohorting of residents was associated with a greater reduction in infection rates among facilities with ≥20% non-whites (n=83). Facilities in the middle (50-61%;n=116) and upper (>61%;n=118) tertiles of dementia prevalence had the largest reduction in infection rates as checklist scores improved. Cohorting was associated with greater reductions in infection rates among facilities in the middle and upper tertiles of dementia prevalence. Thus, adherence to proper infection control procedures, particularly cohorting, can reduce COVID-19 infections, even in facilities with high percentages of high-risk residents (non-white and dementia).

Lessons for deprescribing from a nonessential medication hold policy in US nursing homes.

BACKGROUND: At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a large nursing home chain implemented a policy to temporarily hold potentially unnecessary medications. We describe rates of held and discontinued medications after a temporary hold policy of potentially unnecessary or nonessential medications. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study uses electronic health record (EHR) data on 3247 residents of 64 nursing homes operated by a multistate long-term care provider. Medications were documented in the electronic medication administration record. Overall medication held and discontinued incidences are reported. Hierarchical Bayesian modeling is used to determine individual probabilities for medication discontinuation within each facility. RESULTS: In total, 3247 residents had 5297 nonessential medications held. Multivitamins were most likely to be held, followed by histamine-2 receptor antagonists, antihistamines, and statins. At the end of the hold policy, 2897 of 5297 (54%) were permanently discontinued, including probiotics (73%), histamine-2 receptor antagonists (66%), antihistamines (64%), and statins (45%). Demographics, cognitive and functional impairment were similar between residents with medications who were discontinued versus continued. For most medications, more than 50% of the variance in whether medications were discontinued was explained by facility rather than resident-level factors. CONCLUSION: A temporary medication hold policy implemented during the CoVID-19 pandemic led to the deprescribing of a plurality of 'nonessential' medications. This type of organization-wide initiative may be an effective mechanism for altering future prescribing behaviors to reduce the use of unnecessary medications.

A systematic review of long-term care facility characteristics associated with COVID-19 outcomes.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on long-term care facility residents and staff. Our objective was to review the empirical evidence on facility characteristics associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths. DESIGN: Systematic review. SETTING: Long-term care facilities (nursing homes and assisted living communities). PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six empirical studies of factors associated with COVID-19 cases and deaths in long-term care facilities published between January 1, 2020 and June 15, 2021. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes included the probability of at least one case or death (or other defined threshold); numbers of cases and deaths, measured variably. RESULTS: Larger, more rigorous studies were fairly consistent in their assessment of risk factors for COVID-19 outcomes in long-term care facilities. Larger bed size and location in an area with high COVID-19 prevalence were the strongest and most consistent predictors of facilities having more COVID-19 cases and deaths. Outcomes varied by facility racial composition, differences that were partially explained by facility size and community COVID-19 prevalence. More staff members were associated with a higher probability of any outbreak; however, in facilities with known cases, higher staffing was associated with fewer deaths. Other characteristics, such as Nursing Home Compare 5-star ratings, ownership, and prior infection control citations, did not have consistent associations with COVID-19 outcomes. CONCLUSION: Given the importance of community COVID-19 prevalence and facility size, studies that failed to control for these factors were likely confounded. Better control of community COVID-19 spread would have been critical for mitigating much of the morbidity and mortality long-term care residents and staff experienced during the pandemic. Traditional quality measures such as Nursing Home Compare 5-Star ratings and past deficiencies were not consistent indicators of pandemic preparedness, likely because COVID-19 presented a novel problem requiring extensive adaptation by both long-term care providers and policymakers.

Adverse Events Following One Dose of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Among US Nursing Home Residents With and Without a Previous SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

OBJECTIVES: To compare rates of adverse events following Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination among nursing home residents with and without previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. DESIGN: Prospective cohort. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 20,918 nursing home residents who received the first dose of messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccine from December 18, 2020, through February 14, 2021, in 284 facilities within Genesis Healthcare, a large nursing home provider spanning 24 US states. METHODS: We screened the electronic health record for adverse events, classified by the Brighton Collaboration, occurring within 15 days of a resident's first COVID-19 vaccine dose. All events were confirmed by physician chart review. To obtain risk ratios, multilevel logistic regression model that accounted for clustering (variability) across nursing homes was implemented. To balance the probability of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection (previous positive test or diagnosis by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification) more than 20 days before vaccination, we used inverse probability weighting. To adjust for multiplicity of adverse events tested, we used a false discovery rate procedure. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences existed between those without (n = 13,163) and with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection [symptomatic (n = 5617) and asymptomatic (n = 2138)] for all baseline characteristics assessed. Only 1 adverse event was reported among those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection (asymptomatic), venous thromboembolism [46.8 per 100,000 residents 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.3-264.5], which was not significantly different from the rate reported for those without previous infection (30.4 per 100,000 95% CI 11.8-78.1). Several other adverse events were observed for those with no previous infection, but were not statistically significantly higher than those reported with previous infection after adjustments for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Although reactogenicity increases with preexisting immunity, we did not find that vaccination among those with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in higher rates of adverse events than those without previous infection. This study stresses the importance of monitoring novel vaccines for adverse events in this vulnerable population.