APIC expert urges mask-wearing in LTC, despite guidance switch
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 04, 2022
Despite a recent shift in CDC guidance, now is not the right time for long-term care providers to relax masking and other source control use, says infection preventionist Deb Burdsall of APIC.
Pandemic has taken significant toll on patients with dementia, geriatricians say
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 26, 2022
The pandemic has hastened the cognitive decline of patients with dementia in unprecedented ways, doctors confirm. Despite rising cases, clinicians must emphasize socialization, they say.
Senior living community logs 21 breakthrough cases after being COVID-free for 15 months
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
May 25, 2021
Riverview Retirement Community in Spokane, WA, has a 98% COVID vaccination rate among residents, but an outbreak has occurred among the vaccinated. Despite varied symptoms, cases so far have not been severe,...
Study seeks to shed light on COVID-19’s impact on the brain
By
John Roszkowski
Sep 23, 2022
A global consortium of researchers is seeking to uncover the short-term and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on the brain to assess whether it can lead to cognitive impairments later in life such as Alzheimer’s...
Certain populations to receive Paxlovid free through 2024, under new agreement
By
Kristen Fischer
Oct 17, 2023
Paxlovid, an oral drug that treats COVID-19, will begin to enter the commercial market starting next month. At the same time, the US federal government is making sure that the country has enough supply,...
FDA set to approve two COVID-19 antiviral pills this week
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 22, 2021
FDA is expected to grant emergency use authorization to two antiviral COVID-19 pills this week, possibly as early as today, according to Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the matter.
White House: COVID treatments should be part of ‘routine’ clinical care at nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 11, 2022
Nursing homes are on the front lines of not just preventing COVID-19, but also increasingly treating it, as more deaths from the disease shift from hospitals to that setting, officials say.
CDC: Two booster shots cut severe COVID risk in nursing home residents by 74 percent
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 03, 2022
Nursing home residents who received a second mRNA booster shot during omicron were much less likely to suffer severe COVID-19 outcomes than their peers who received only one dose, a new study shows.
FDA no longer requires positive COVID-19 test to prescribe Paxlovid, Lagevrio
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 01, 2023
The FDA on Wednesday made it easier for clinicians to prescribe these antiviral drugs in cases where transmission is evident and the patient is at high risk of severe illness.
Pandemic lessons learned need to apply to future dementia care in nursing homes: editorial
By
Kristen Fischer
Feb 02, 2024
An editorial in response to a 2023 study about caring for people with dementia during the pandemic highlights some of the ongoing issues in nursing home care quality that became prominent during the outbreak...