Feds pledge 30 million more coronavirus tests for 2021
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 18, 2020
The additional allotment will allow officials to keep providing Abbott BinaxNow tests to skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and other vulnerable groups through at least March, said...
FDA approves first fully at-home COVID-19 test
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 17, 2020
Results are available in about 20 minutes via a mobile phone app, and the test is more than 90% accurate in both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, the agency announced Tuesday.
Parkinson: Vaccinate all long-term care by March and slash coronavirus mortality 40 percent
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 08, 2020
A one-month delay “could result in more than 20,000 of our residents losing their lives when a vaccine could have saved them,” AHCA / NCAL leader Mark Parkinson said Monday.
Clinicians key to boosting coronavirus vaccine confidence, CDC says
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2020
A new webpage provides 10 “need to know” topics regarding vaccination against COVID-19 that clinicians can relay to patients in their care.
COVID vaccine protects elderly; delivery program has buy-in from nearly all U.S. nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 19, 2020
Fully 99% of skilled nursing facilities nationwide have signed on with the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program vaccine delivery initiative, HHS says. The news arrived just as Pfizer...
COVID test turnaround time tops 2 days for a third of nursing homes, data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 13, 2020
Among 13,000 facilities that provided their testing speed to the government, only 17% reported an average turnaround time of less than a day; and fully 29% waited three days or more on average for residents’...
Don’t shelve rapid tests as COVID cases climb, advocates implore nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 03, 2020
Industry advocates say it’s time for facility operators who have not made full use of rapid antigen tests to start doing so — before nursing home deaths begin to spike again. CMS must “take to...
Recovered COVID patients with sore throat, nasal symptoms still may test positive
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 29, 2020
Nearly 17% of hospitalized COVID patients who were considered fully recovered tested positive for the virus in follow-up screenings. Two telltale symptoms may suggest a need for repeat testing, investigators...
LTC, community pharmacies vie for role in federal COVID vaccine initiative
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 23, 2020
Nursing home and assisted living operators should talk with their existing pharmacy provider about their capability to participate in the federal government’s new COVID-19 vaccine delivery program,...