A major infection control organization is calling on states to expand the dissemination of evidence-based COVID-19 vaccine information. This as various senior care organizations report new coronavirus outbreaks in their communities.
“Vaccines and related outreach should not be politicized regardless of the type of vaccine,” the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) said in a statement last Thursday. “In the absence of credible vaccine information, citizens are forced to rely on less accurate means of obtaining information such as social media and the internet.”
Meanwhile, reports of outbreaks in senior care continue to emerge. Among the latest:
-At least 19 residents and six staff members contracted COVID-19 in an outbreak at Spruce Point Assisted Living and Memory Care in Florence, OR. While most of the residents are vaccinated, many of the staff are not, a local news outlet reported. Three other facilities in Lane County in Oregon also recently had outbreaks: Avamere Rehabilitation of Junction City, Good Samaritan Society and River Grove Memory Care.
-Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in Houston last week reported 11 resident deaths, some of whom tested positive for COVID-19, a local news outlet reported. As a result of the deaths, the superintendent was put on administrative leave.
Coronavirus cases are on the rise in every state in the nation, The New York Times reported last week. There are 26,000 new cases a day after counts plummeted to 11,000 a day, the outlet said. While infections are relatively low in the Upper Midwest, Northeast and West Coast, hot spots have arisen in parts of Missouri, Arkansas and Nevada.
