Vaccine potency wanes, but third COVID shot restores 95 percent efficacy, new data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 16, 2021
New data from vaccine maker Pfizer and Israel’s health ministry may help U.S. health agencies make a case for recommending COVID-19 booster shots, various sources report.
Large VA study reveals ease of COVID-19 transmission among unvaccinated healthcare staff
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 07, 2021
Investigators found nearly 20 times the rate of COVID-19 infection in unvaccinated healthcare staff, plus signs that transmission clusters were linked to those workers.
LeadingAge releases booster shot toolkit for senior living, home care settings
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 06, 2021
The kit provides links to sources of support for on-site booster clinic set-up and guidance for administrators who must encourage off-site vaccine access.
HHS to LTC operators: Step up your booster clinic timelines before year ends
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 22, 2021
Long-term care operators should speed up plans to help residents boost their immunity before an expected COVID-19 surge hits, a federal official told virtual town hall attendees Tuesday.
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine highly effective in octo- and nonagenarians, German study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 10, 2021
The data, from 700,000 older residents of Bavaria, resolves questions about the vaccine’s protectiveness that weren’t answered by the drugmaker’s clinical trials, investigators say.
Unvaccinated residents had triple rate of COVID in Kentucky nursing home’s March outbreak: CDC
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 22, 2021
Vaccinated nursing home residents and staff members appeared to have a distinct advantage during a recent COVID-19 outbreak, agency investigators found.
Are we there yet? Vaccination success won’t ease need for LTC vigilance, observers say
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 18, 2021
The need for stepped-up infection control measures likely will remain a necessity for the foreseeable future, say industry observers and stakeholders.
Vaccines highly effective against severe omicron illness, CDC research assures
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 22, 2022
Two or three COVID-19 vaccine doses provided 90% protection against invasive mechanical ventilation or in-hospital death during both the delta and omicron periods, according to new CDC data.
LTC residents have detectable antibodies 6 months after COVID vaccination
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 12, 2021
All residents tested in University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Senior Communities were found to have antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after full vaccination. The findings are “cautious good news,”...
Require COVID-19 vaccination of all healthcare workers, seven clinical groups say
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 14, 2021
Their evidence-based verdict: healthcare institutions and facilities — including long-term care facilities — should require that their personnel be vaccinated as a condition of employment.