Dr Vincent Kirchner, C&I Medical Director, says: “We know that older adults and people with dementia are at high risk of infection and mortality due to COVID-19. This study was able to look at the lessons learned from the peak of the first wave of COVID 19 (March to April 2020) and what impact these had on the peak of the second wave (December 2020 to February 2021). The introduction of infection prevention and control measures, the wearing of surgical masks by staff and visitors and the regular testing of asymptomatic service users and patient-facing NHS staff all helped to reduce the spread of infection. Vaccination also occurred during wave 2 but not wave 1, but it is unclear to what extent this may have influenced differences in reported outcomes as the study period coincided with the beginning of the vaccination campaign.”