COVID-19 vaccination mandates don’t negatively affect nursing home staffing

State COVID-19 vaccination mandates increased vaccinations among direct caregivers without negatively affecting staffing levels, according to the results of a study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum.

The researchers studied vaccination rates and staffing shortages that were reported via the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network from June 6, 2021, through Nov. 14, 2021. They looked specifically at nursing home changes in weekly staff vaccination rates and reported staffing shortages.

The investigators examined data from 38 states where data were available. They found that 26 of those states had no COVID-19 vaccine mandates for nursing home employees, four had mandates with a test-out option, and eight had mandates with no test-out option.