COVID-19 Case Rates After Surveillance and Vaccinations in a Statewide Psychiatric Hospital System.

COVID-19 vaccines; PSYCHIATRIC hospital care; PUBLIC health surveillance; EVALUATION of human services programs; DISEASE susceptibility

Individuals with serious mental illness are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. The New York State (NYS) Office of Mental Health implemented patient and staff rapid testing, quarantining, and vaccination to limit COVID-19 spread in 23 state-operated psychiatric hospitals between November 2020 and February 2021. COVID-19 infection rates in inpatients and staff decreased by 96% and 71%, respectively, and the NYS population case rate decreased by 6%. Repeated COVID-19 testing and vaccination should be priority interventions for state-operated psychiatric hospitals. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(10):1780–1783. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306444) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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