New AARP Analysis Shows Devastating Impact of the Omicron Variant in Michigan Nursing Homes

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Lansing, MI - As the number of COVID-19 cases declines nationwide, and here in Michigan, AARP’s Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard, covering the four-week period ending January 23, paints a grim picture of the devastation caused by the surge of the Omicron variant in America’s nursing homes and underscores the need for booster shots to protect both residents and staff.

Staff cases were more than 11 times as high nationwide as in last month’s Dashboard (covering the four weeks ending December 19), with resident cases nationwide more than eight times as high.

Here in Michigan, staff cases more than tripled from a rate of 5.13 per 100 residents in December to 19.9 in January. Resident cases nearly doubled from a rate of 4.39 to 8.1 during this same time period. Nursing home resident deaths from COVID-19 decreased from a rate of .61 in December to .31 in January.

The latest data from the Dashboard also shows that as of January 23, 55.9% of nursing home residents in Michigan were fully vaccinated with a booster dose, an increase from mid-December. Only 24% of direct care staff have received a booster, a slight increase from mid-December.

“We know boosters save lives, we know they help prevent infections and severe illness,” said Paula D. Cunningham, State Director of AARP, which serves more 1.3 million members age 50 and older in Michigan. “Even though the worst of the Omicron surge is hopefully behind us, the pandemic isn’t over. The delivery of booster doses to nursing home residents and staff must remain a high priority as these folks are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 and its variants.”

The AARP Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard  analyzes federally reported data in four-week periods going back to June 1, 2020. Using this data, the AARP Public Policy Institute, in collaboration with the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Ohio, created the dashboard to provide snapshots of the virus’ infiltration into nursing homes and impact on nursing home residents and staff, with the goal of identifying specific areas of concern at the national and state levels in a timely manner.

The full Nursing Home COVID-19 Dashboard is available at www.aarp.org/nursinghomedashboard, and an AARP story about this month’s data is available here. For more information on how coronavirus is impacting nursing homes and AARP’s advocacy on this issue, visit www.aarp.org/nursinghomes. Medicare.gov’s Care Compare website now offers information about vaccination and booster rates within individual nursing homes and how they compare to state and national averages.

For further information and inquiries: Careena Eggleston, ceggleston@aarp.org.