On August 18, CMS announced that it is working with the CDC to create an emergency regulation to require COVID-19 vaccinations for all staff in Medicare and Medicaid participating nursing homes. As of August 8, only 62% of all nursing home staff in the nation are vaccinated. COVID-19 cases in nursing home residents have increased from 319 cases on June 27 to 2,696 cases on August 8. According to CMS, many recent outbreaks in nursing homes across the nation have occurred in areas with the lowest staff vaccination rates.