Nursing Homes Confront New Covid Outbreaks Amid Calls for Staff Vaccination Mandates

With the vaccinated elderly susceptible to breakthrough infections, inoculation of workers is becoming more urgent.

In late spring, the 142 nursing homes operated by the Good Samaritan Society hit a milestone that was unthinkable just four months earlier: Zero cases of Covid-19 across the whole company, from 900 at the peak of the pandemic. The relief was short-lived. The case count has ticked up again: It’s still below 100 among residents and staff, the company said, but includes many breakthrough cases of vaccinated residents testing positive. Then last week, two vaccinated residents died with Covid at the Good Samaritan Society-Deuel County nursing home in Clear Lake, South Dakota.