Vaccine mandate raises questions

Could federal covid vaccine mandates close any Lexington County nursing homes?

State health officials don’t know yet. The mandate requires vaccination of all nursing home staff and residents.

Derrek Asberry of the Department of Health and Environmental Control told the Chronicle that Lancaster and Mt. Pleasant nursing homes and 16 assisted-living facilities have closed since the start of the pandemic.

“The individual facilities would need to confirm whether their decision to close was a result of the pandemic,” he said.

A federal covid-19 vaccine mandate announced last week could have an impact on nursing homes and their employees.

“A decrease in this federal funding could impact different long-term care facilities in different ways depending on how facilities use that funding, Asberry wrote in an email to the Chronicle.

“For example, it could affect routine covid-19 testing programs that a facility has in place or it could impact a resident’s ability to pay for their stay at the facility.

“South Carolina has relatively low vaccination rates among nursing home staff.”

If many unvaccinated workers leave due to the mandate, what may that mean for nursing home care?

“Only specific facilities could comment on their unique situations,” Asberry said.

“I’m sure that right now, facilities statewide are having tough conversations and trying to plan responsibly. Any potential shortages in staffing could negatively affect aspects of patient care.”

Will DHEC enforce a vaccine mandate for nursing home workers once it goes into effect?

“We continue to strongly recommend that all long-term care facility residents and the workers who care for them get vaccinated,” he said.

“Disease spread can be amplified in these types of congregate settings, and the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant makes it even more important to prevent potential outbreaks.”

Asberry said DHEC does not know when the federal mandate will take effect, if it will extend to other medical workers and how it will be enforced.