Vaccinations

Long-term care providers were intent on dismissing undesirable memories of the COVID-19 pandemic as much as possible in 2023, but the year’s top stories revealed there were still remnants of it to...

We must ensure that our population has vaccines to fight off common respiratory viruses this holiday season — and beyond.

Broad guidance kept some nursing homes from using as much Provider Relief funding as intended … Sudden nursing home closure leaves staff without pay, residents hastily relocating … High-dose flu vax...

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an urgent alert late last week saying there’s an urgent need to increase vaccination rates.

Deaths of nursing home patients from COVID-19 climbed as vaccination rates hit new lows last month, according to an updated analysis by the AARP Public Policy Institute and the Scripps Gerontology Center.

With updated COVID vaccines expected to be widely available by week’s end, providers are ramping up efforts to get shots into arms as nursing home cases remain elevated compared to the last six months. 

Paxlovid offers 96% protection against hospitalization in high-risk patients who are incompletely vaccinated. It is also significantly protective in older adults who were vaccinated at least 6 months...

Vaccination coverage remains lower in socially vulnerable communities, contributing to relatively poor COVID-19 outcomes, investigators report.

A study of nearly 1,000 residents underscores the importance of vaccine type and number of doses in maintaining protective immunity, and reducing the risk of breakthrough infections, investigators say.

The updated vaccine guidance is a response to the omicron era and high levels of population immunity, according to the WHO’s vaccine advisors.