Only 45% of adults 50 and older plan to receive the updated Covid-19 vaccine this fall, according to a University of Michigan poll. Researchers said patient education is a must due to another possible wave of Covid this winter.

Preeti Malani, MD, an infectious diseases physician at Michigan Medicine, said people 75 and older have accounted for nearly half of all Covid-19 hospitalizations since last fall, and at least 44,000 deaths in people 65 and older last year were directly attributable to COVID. gave advice to researchers.

The survey did not include people in nursing homes, but reported that LTC residents accounted for about 19% of COVID-related hospitalizations among people 65 and older in 2023. Additionally, Covid deaths in U.S. nursing homes rose 43% this summer into 2023 due to vaccine delays, according to AARP research.

“It is critical that nursing home residents and staff are vaccinated in the fall to ensure maximum protection for both themselves and all residents living in the facility,” said analysis co-author Ari Houser.

From the November/December 2024 Issue of McKnight’s Long Term Care News