COVID deaths now ‘entirely preventable’ due to vaccines, CDC director says
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 24, 2021
High vaccine efficacy in the United States means that “every death due to COVID-19 is particularly tragic because nearly every death, especially among adults … [is] entirely preventable,”...
J&J vaccine effective against COVID Delta variant, drugmaker says
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 06, 2021
Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine prompts a “strong neutralizing antibody response” that lasts at least eight months, the drugmaker has announced.
Three Maine nursing homes to close for good after ‘exhausting every staffing resource’
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 03, 2021
Three rural Maine nursing homes announced their pending closures this week, all of them citing staffing challenges and the ongoing pandemic.
FDA: Evusheld may be less effective against latest COVID variants
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 05, 2022
Evusheld, a preventive COVID-19 antibody for high-risk patients, may lose efficacy in the face of newly emerging variants, the FDA has informed clinicians.
Study highlights nurses’ sleep challenges during pandemic
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 28, 2022
Nurses have lost a lot of sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their sleep problems are closely tied to mental health issues that can affect well-being, a new investigation finds.
‘Recession proof’ nursing homes may not see usual labor gains due to COVID
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 29, 2022
While nursing homes have traditionally been better able to compete for and keep workers in an economic downturn, a possible recession coming on the heels of COVID-19 will test conventional wisdom.
Seniors shouldn’t wait until fall for COVID-19 booster vax, federal health officials say
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 13, 2022
Receiving another booster shot now will not rule out getting a variant-specific shot in the fall, officials told seniors Tuesday. And a second booster shot provides a higher level of protection, they emphasized.
With new CDC guidance, providers duck ‘up-to-date’ vaccination concerns
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 27, 2022
While masking and screening of nursing home workers and visitors may no longer be required in areas with lower COVID-19 transmission rates, vaccination and testing efforts will be crucial if providers...
Tackling senior care staffing challenges during COVID-19 and beyond
By
David Wilkins
Mar 11, 2021
It has been a year since COVID-19 struck senior care with a vengeance, and the dual pressures to ensure the financial health of an organization along with the physical and mental health of its residents...
States need to step up with nurse aide waiver clearer, providers say
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 31, 2022
The formal extension of a waiver program that relaxes certification requirements for some nurse aides was widely embraced by providers a day after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced...