Staff Vaccination Rates Reach 66% in AL and SNF Settings Across the State

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Jeff Bostic

The most recent Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) update on long-term care vaccination shows slow progress continuing for staff rates, while resident rates remain outstanding.

Staff rates for full vaccination were 66% in all reporting care centers and 66% in all reporting assisted living settings, which is up 2% for care centers and 6% for AL in the last six weeks. With the announcement of a soon-to-be-implemented federal mandate for staff vaccination in care centers, there is now even greater urgency to increase these numbers in those settings before the policy takes effect.

The MDH report also looks at regional differences in vaccination rates which show significant variation. The Twin Cities Metro area has the highest staff vaccination rates of any region, at 77% in care centers and 72% in assisted living. Meanwhile, the MDH central region, which includes St. Cloud and the Brainerd area, has the lowest staff vaccination rates of 55% in care centers and 48% in AL.Resident vaccination rates remain excellent, at 91% fully vaccinated in care centers and 95% fully vaccinated in assisted living. The general population vaccination rate in Minnesota has also been improving:  71% of Minnesotans 16+ and 93% of those 65+ have received at least one vaccine dose.