In the late 2010s, the long-term care industry began to take action that would reflect the growing importance of incorporating robust infection prevention practices. Facilities were required to develop...
‘A different phase’: End of COVID-19 vax rule for healthcare workers
By
Alicia Lasek
May 02, 2023
A COVID-19 vaccination rule for healthcare workers that took full effect after a Supreme Court vote in early 2022 will soon be lifted, the Biden administration says.
CDC to end community tracking of COVID-19
By
Alicia Lasek
May 02, 2023
Community spread will no longer be tracked by the CDC after the PHE ends May 11. Nursing homes have used the data to make COVID-19 mitigation decisions.
Relaxed enforcement for telehealth is over
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Apr 19, 2023
Well, we knew it might happen sometime. We saw the silver lining of COVID-19 these past few years in the form of relaxed rules by the government to allow for the easier implementation and proliferation...
Half of healthcare workers in VA study worked while ill with COVID-19: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 12, 2023
Nearly 50% of workers in a Veterans’ Affairs healthcare system, including long-term care units, continued working despite having symptoms of COVID-19, researchers have found.
FDA mulling COVID-19 boosters for elderly, immunocompromised
By
Ron Rajecki
Mar 24, 2023
The Food and Drug Administration reportedly is considering a new round of COVID-19 booster shots for individuals who are at high risk of severe disease, including those aged 65 or more years or those who...
Three years in, pandemic jabs keep coming
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Mar 10, 2023
Ahead of Saturday’s third anniversary of the pandemic’s official declaration, one infection preventionist who spent much of COVID’s first year on frontlines in multiple states reflected on the challenges...
Looking past 3 years of pandemic conditions
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 09, 2023
For Americans of a certain age, “Where were you on March 11, 2020?” might not rank quite the same as “Where were you on Sept. 11, 2001?” But the stunning aftermath of the former could easily eclipse...
COVID-19 a bigger threat to seniors than pneumonia, real-world study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 09, 2023
COVID-19 is much more deadly than bacterial or viral pneumonia, causing double the mortality rate in older, hospitalized adults, investigators say.
Unexpected physician deaths swelled during pandemic — until vaccines arrived
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 09, 2023
Tragically, physicians have experienced high mortality linked to COVID-19 early in the pandemic. But mitigation measures and vaccination appear to have reduced deadly infections in this provider group,...