The Eastern Kentucky nursing home where an unvaccinated worker started an outbreak of a COVID-19 variant that infected 46 people and killed three residents has been identified as the Life Care Center in Morehead.
The March COVID-19 outbreak triggered a federal-state investigation that stressed the "critical" importance of increasing vaccination rates among staff at such facilities.
Dr. Will Melahn is the Chief Medical Officer at Saint Claire Healthcare. He says populations that are only have partial vaccination participation makes COVID variants more likely.
A key finding of the CDC report on the outbreak at the Life Care Center was that vaccinated staff and residents who tested positive for COVID-19 had a greatly reduced risk of symptoms and serious illness.
Melahn says everyone in the community who can get vaccinated should do so as soon as possible.