2022 Oregon Long Term Care State Report www.ohca.com 12 Impacts of COVID-19 Few sectors have been as heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as long term care. Early on in the pandemic, facilities were closed to all visitors in order to protect residents and staff from the spread of infection. Activities were curtailed and many essential services such as dining had to be restructured under the emergency regulations from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During those challenging times, the staff in Oregon’s long term care communities showed incredible resolve and continued to provide the services and supports needed by residents. Oregon fared better than much of the country for the first years of the pandemic, with lower rates of positive cases and fatalities from COVID-19 in our long term care settings compared to many other states. Vaccines, which were distributed initially in onsite clinics at Oregon long term care communities across the state between December 2020 and April 2021, were a lifeline for our sector and for all older Oregonians most at risk of serious complications from COVID-19. The vaccination rates of long term care residents and staff remain high compared to the general Oregon population for the initial vaccine doses; booster rates are relatively comparable. Overall, long term care residents are one of the highest vaccinated populations in the country. Long term care residents are at especially high-risk for complications and mortality from COVID-19 infection due to a high level of medical need and co-occurring chronic health conditions amongst this population. Oregon long term care staff and residents have higher rates of vaccination than the general Oregon population.11,12 Notably, Oregon requires the reporting of vaccination data for both communitybased care providers and nursing facilities, while federal reporting requirements only mandate data to be reported by nursing facilities. Because of COVID-19 Vaccination Rates, as of June 2022 Long Term Care Facilities – Oregon Rate of Vaccination Facility Staff – Initial Doses Facility Residents – Initial Doses General Population – Oregon Adults – Initial Doses 88% 89% 76.4% Source: Oregon Health Authority. Long-Term Care Facility COVID-19 Vaccination Data. June 6, 2022; Oregon Health Authority. (2022). COVID-19 Vaccination Metrics. June 6, 2022.
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