TOPEKA, Kan. — Only about 10% of the nursing homes in Kansas regulated by the federal government have met the industry's goal for vaccinating their workers against COVID-19, according to government data.
The industry's aim is to have 75% of the homes' staff vaccinated. But the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says that as of late June, 34 of the 324 federally licensed homes in Kansas had met that goal, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports.
The new data about nursing homes comes with state officials worry about the growing presence of the faster-spreading delta variant. The state Department of Health and Environment on Wednesday reported a 7.7% increase in confirmed delta variant cases, up 51 since Monday to 710.
The state health department also reported that as of Wednesday, there were nine active clusters of COVID cases at long-term care facilities tied to 51 cases, nine hospitalizations and three deaths.
The federally regulated homes are among more than 800 long-term care facilities, including 476 that are state-licensed only, according to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. The agency didn't have vaccination data for those facilities.
With the federally regulated homes, an average of 55% of workers have been vaccinated, according to CMS data.
