Prognosis
For Kids Needing Home Care, a Vaccinated Nurse Is Hard to Find
- Only handful of states require them to get Covid inoculations
- One couple searches for someone who can hold Evelyn safely
Photographer: Joseph Prezioso/AFP/Getty Images
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A shortage of vaccinated home-care nurses has some parents of children with conditions like cerebral palsy or severe epilepsy giving up sleep and their own mental health to ensure their kids keep breathing at night.
The National Association for Home Care and Hospice estimates a vaccination rate as low as 40% among the industry’s 2 million nurses, who work in a broad variety of specialties. Only a handful of states require in-home nurses to be vaccinated against Covid-19, and the Biden administration hasn’t created a federal mandate. Now many parents have to weigh the chance of bringing the virus into their homes versus caring for their children alone.