The new vaccination campaign against Covid-19 has started. Should we adapt it in nursing homes?
- Researchers have studied the burden of Covid-19 in accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (Ehpad) in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Paca).
- “It seems important to assess the need to administer booster doses and vaccines better adapted to the new variants, in order to prevent severe forms of the disease among nursing home residents,” they concluded.
- Since the start of the pandemic three years ago, more than 167,000 people have died from Covid-19 in France.
As the Covid-19 vaccination campaign has begun, a new study from Public Health France gives indications on the strategy to be implemented in nursing homes.
The burden of Covid-19 in nursing homes
“We studied the burden of Covid-19 in accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (Ehpad) in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (Paca) in which residents are at risk of serious forms”explain the researchers in the preamble.
The study was based on the Covid-19 surveillance system in nursing homes during the five waves identified between weeks 09-2020 and 16-2022, for which the attack rates (TA) were compared, those of hospitalization (TH) and those of lethality (TL) among nursing home residents having reported episodes of Covid-19. Two-dose vaccination coverage has also been described.
Covid-19 in nursing homes: for “vaccines better adapted to new variants”
In total, 1,435 episodes of Covid-19 and 30,110 infections were recorded among residents. The attack rate decreased gradually from wave 2 (31.8%) to wave 4 (16.2%), increasing again in wave 5 (27.8%). Those of hospitalization and those of fatality decreased from wave 1 to wave 5. Two-dose vaccination coverage was 71.9% in wave 3 and 89.9% in wave 4.
“Covid-19 strongly affected nursing homes in Paca during the period studied. An improvement in TH and TL is observed over time, the lowest rates being identified in waves 4 and 5, periods where coverage vaccination rate was less than 90%. summarize the scientists. “However, the observed variations in the attack rate suggest that the administration of the first two doses of the vaccine was not sufficient to reduce the number of infections over time. It appears important to assess the need to administer booster doses and vaccines better adapted to new variants, in order to prevent severe forms of the disease among residents of nursing homes”, they conclude.
Covid-19: where is the epidemic in France?
In its latest update on October 11, Santé Publique France indicated that visits to emergency departments for suspected Covid-19 decreased by 7% compared to the previous week, with 3,667 visits. This indicator also declined in most age groups, while it was stable among those aged 65 and over (+0.9%). Among all hospitalizations after going to the emergency room, 2% were hospitalized for Covid-19 or suspicion.
Since the start of the pandemic three years ago, more than 167,000 people have died from Covid-19 in France. Elderly people are most affected by this disease.
