Fed’s booster OK too late? Nursing home loses 8 to coronavirus outbreak this fall
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 17, 2021
A Connecticut nursing home has weathered a facility-wide COVID-19 outbreak that has sickened 89 residents and staff. Booster shots were not yet authorized when the first cases appeared, the operator reports.
Healthcare workers account for at least 20% of COVID-19 cases
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 15, 2020
The number comes from state reports and is likely an underestimation, according to the CDC.
FDA advisers vote unanimously to endorse Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jun 08, 2022
Independent advisers have voted 21 to 0 to recommend the authorization of Novavax’s COVID-19 protein-based vaccine for pandemic emergency use.
Best bet against omicron? Prior infection or a booster shot, early research suggests
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 09, 2021
A two-dose course of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may not be enough to effectively combat the new omicron coronavirus variant, but a booster shot may do the trick, two early lab studies suggest....
Increases in non-COVID infections ‘wipe out’ decade of progress
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 03, 2021
The CDC’s new report of a spike in healthcare associated infections is alarming, says the nation’s leading infection control group. One bright spot for nursing homes: CDC found no increase in Clostridium...
One person with COVID infects 4 to 5 others, double WHO estimates, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 01, 2020
Each person who contracted the coronavirus early in the pandemic likely transmitted it to four or five others, according to a new analysis.
Two years into pandemic, we’re better prepared to fight off virus variants
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2021
Despite the threat of the quickly spreading and highly mutated omicron coronavirus variant — which has just landed in the U.S. — we are safer than we were before the pandemic, some experts say.
Driven by pandemic lessons, CDC advisers mull endorsing high-dose flu vaccines for seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 15, 2022
A decision to recommend high-dose influenza shots over standard-dose vaccines would be a welcome change, long-term care stakeholders say.
New ‘weapon in our arsenal’: Antibody drug cuts COVID risk by 80 percent in LTC residents
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 22, 2021
Staff and residents who received Eli Lilly’s monoclonal antibody therapy were less likely to contract symptomatic COVID-19 than placebo groups in a late-stage trial. Industry advocates are hailing...
SNF physicians’ unique skill set requires more definition and support, industry docs say
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 15, 2022
Insights into these doctors’ contributions and constraints are highlighted in interviews with medical directors and attending physicians.