Long-term care facilities in the state must require their employees to receive at least their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination by Sept. 7 or face significant fines, according to the latest executive order issued by Gov. Ned Lamont.
Failure to comply with Executive Order No. 13B will make a given facility subject to a $20,000 civil penalty per day.
The definition of long-term care facilities includes:
- Nursing homes;
- Residential care homes;
- Assisted living services agencies (i.e. agencies that provide staff to certain long-term care facilities);
- Intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities;
- Managed residential communities;
- Chronic disease hospitals.
“We know for a fact that Covid-19 presents increased risk of severe illness and death among older adults, particularly those who have chronic conditions and compromised immune systems,” Lamont said.
“Now that vaccines are widely available and scientifically proven to be safe and the most effective method for preventing hospitalization and death, it would be absolutely irresponsible for anyone working in a long-term care facility to not receive this protection that could prevent widespread infection among those who are most vulnerable from dying of this communicable disease, some of whom for medical reasons cannot be vaccinated themselves.”
Approximately one-third of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. have occurred among residents and staff of long-term care facilities. Recently in Connecticut, the state has seen a significant increase in cases of the virus in nursing homes among staff and residents.
In the past three weeks, there have been 51 resident cases, a sharp increase compared with the six cases reported over the previous three-week period.
There have also been several deaths in recent weeks of residents who tested positive for Covid-19, which followed a period of 7 consecutive weeks without a death relating to the virus.
To date, approximately 55% of all nursing homes in Connecticut have a staff vaccination rate of lower than 75%. Only 21% of nursing homes in the state have a staff vaccination rate higher than 85%.
