By Dan Hounsell, Senior Editor, Facility Market

As the delta variant of the coronavirus continues to drive up new COVID-19 cases and higher hospitalization rates, some overwhelmed hospitals are responding by reopening field hospitals. But something else is on the rise: vaccine mandates. And the nation’s nursing homes are no exception.

President Joe Biden recently announced his administration will require all employees in nursing homes to get vaccinated for COVID-19, the latest effort to protect Americans as the delta variant spreads, according to CNBC. Biden's remarks came after an administration official confirmed that the government will withhold federal funding from nursing homes that fail to fully vaccinate their staff.

The new policy, which would withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding to nursing homes that don't comply, could take effect as early as next month, though the timing is fluid. It would impact about 15,000 nursing homes, which employ more than 1.3 million people nationwide.

The move comes as the highly contagious delta variant drives a surge in new cases nationwide, and federal officials say they are starting to see evidence of waning vaccine protection against mild and moderate disease.

Nationally, about 60 percent of nursing home staff are vaccinated – much lower than the 82.4 percent of residents who have gotten the shots, according to data compiled by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In some states, the percentage of nursing home staff who are vaccinated is even lower.

Nursing home residents, health-care providers and the elderly — the first groups to get vaccinated in December and January — are likely to be prioritized to get extra shots, according to National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins.