City has among top 5 highest elderly vaccine rates in CT
NORWALK — Fairfield County has led the way in elderly coronavirus vaccinations, with Norwalk ranking fourth in the state for the highest rates for individuals 75 and older, behind Stamford, West Hartford and Greenwich.
About 77 percent of residents in that category have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Department of Public Health. Aiding in the city’s high vaccination rate are Norwalk’s nursing homes.
Norwalk is home to six nursing homes or assisted living facilities that share an estimated 5,300 residents 75 or older.
At Notre Dame Health and Rehabilitation Center on West Rocks Road, 95 percent of residents have been vaccinated, according to Director of Nursing Services Laurie Pompa.
Of the center’s current 37 residents, two families declined the COVID-19 vaccine for their family member based on the family’s history of opting not to receive vaccinations, Pompa said.
“It’s been a long-standing thing with them. They don’t receive vaccinces at all,” she said.
The center partnered with a local CVS to hold three vaccination clinics from December through February, with the first group of residents receiving the Pfizer vaccine at a Dec. 23 clinic, Pompa said.
While nursing homes fell under Phase 1a of the governor’s vaccine plan, not all residents were eligible at the time.
“We had a very small amount of residents that could not receive the vaccine at that time due to having had COVID and plasma treatments,” Pompa said. “They had to defer for 90 days and have since been vaccinated.”
From April to June, Notre Dame had 26 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths, according to DPH data.
In encouraging residents to receive the vaccine, staff members and the medical director met with residents individually to educate them about the vaccine and answer questions, Pompa said.
“Based on the number of residents that have received the vaccine, I think and the fact we have core principles we follow diligently, it is not really a concern,” she said. “We continue to follow CDC recommendations in terms of PPE and when to wear it and hand hygiene.”
In addition to residents, about 70 percent of Notre Dame staff are vaccinated as well.
At Maplewood at Strawberry Hill senior living community in East Norwalk, 98 of the facility’s 100 residents have received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Senior Vice President of Community Operations Amy Silva-Magalhaes said. The two residents who chose not to receive the vaccine did so due to pre-existing medical concerns, Silva-Magalhaes said.
As of Feb. 4, Maplewood had nine confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents, one death since July and 27 cases among staff since July, according to DPH data.
Like Notre Dame, Maplewood partnered with a local CVS for a clinic at the senior living community to administer the vaccines and met one-on-one with residents to educate them on the vaccine’s efficacy, Silva-Magalhaes said.
“I led efforts for the vaccine,” she said. “Maplewood partnered with a local CVS and they came on site and did the vaccines for staff too.”
The first clinic was held in January and an additional clinic was held last week at a Maplewood location in Danbury, Silva-Magalhaes said.
For residents who are unable to comprehend or consent to the inoculation, such as people suffering from advanced dementia, their legal guardians stepped in to request they receive the vaccine, Silva-Magalhaes said.
“We’re optimistic of an end to COVID,” she added.
As of March 8, about 18 percent of Norwalkers have received at least the first vaccine dose, 74 percent of residents between 65 and 74 are vaccinated, and 77 percent of people 75 or older are vaccinated, according to DPH.
Statewide, about 157,000 Connecticut residents 75 or older are fully vaccinated as of March 11.