In January of this year, coronavirus cases in the state’s nursing homes rose beyond 18% of all residents, compared with .3% in December. A similar jump occurred in long-term care staff. Kimberly Campbell, State Director for AARP Mississippi, says this was a symptom of a highly transmissible variant and the slow uptake in vaccine booster doses.
“And that’s the point of this, is to really shake us all up and say ‘Hello, pay attention. It’s not over.’ And that population, they need us to be vigilant and really concerned about their care and their longevity,” says Campbell. “So we need to make sure that they’re getting vaccinated, they’re getting boosted, staffers and anybody that has to interact with them in those facilities need to do the same.”
The majority of Mississippi’s long-term care residents were vaccinated within the first few months of vaccines becoming available in the state. Since that time last year, only around half have received the booster dose. But Campbell says the need for booster doses extends beyond the doors of the nursing home, and into communities across the state.
“The rest of us have to do our part as well. And even if you say ‘Well I don’t work in a long-term care facility,’ well guess what you may come in touch with someone who does. You may come in touch with someone that’s got to go visit their 90-year-old war hero grandfather in a long-term care facility. This is a public issue, and we’ve got to take care of not just ourselves and our own families, but those around us in the community as well.”
Campbell is also encouraging residents with increased health risks to ask their doctor about a potential second booster dose to continue protection against the coronavirus.
