U.S. to test vaccine combos for future anti-variant strategy, Fauci says
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 01, 2022
The NIH is launching a phase 2 clinical trial to help determine which vaccine combos can provide a broader immune response in adults who have already had a series of COVID-19 vaccinations.
U.S. gives green light to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 01, 2022
“Spikevax” is the second COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to receive full FDA approval, following Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty in September.
CDC may be overestimating COVID-19 vaccination stats for older adults, state officials and experts say
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 13, 2021
The agency’s online tracker currently shows that 99.9% of U.S. seniors have been at least partly vaccinated against COVID-19. But this sky-high figure is almost certainly not accurate, observers...
Association offers blueprint for how LTC leaders can make federal staff vaccine policy work
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 23, 2021
Long-term care facility leaders’ response to President Joe Biden’s new vaccination order will help determine how staff react to the new mandate. Therefore, remaining calm and communicating well...
CDC safety panel: J&J vaccine benefits outweigh rare neuro risks seen in older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 26, 2021
The benefits of the shot — including reduced hospitalization, intensive care unit admission and death — outweigh the risk of contracting Guillain-Barre syndrome, the Advisory Committee on Immunization...
Psychiatric disorders may raise risk of COVID-19 re-infection: Research
By
John Hall
Apr 19, 2022
Fully vaccinated COVID-19 survivors with a history of certain psychiatric disorders may be pre-disposed to reinfection, researchers from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care System and the...
Nearly all staff are vaccinated in majority of Connecticut’s long-term care facilities
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2021
One state is experiencing success with its COVID-19 vaccination mandate: Fully three quarters of LTC facilities in Connecticut have a 95% staff vaccination rate, its Department of Public Health announced...
FDA advisers endorse bivalent vaccine for all COVID mRNA shots
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 27, 2023
A panel of experts on Thursday agreed that the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines should be used as both initial and booster shots, phasing out the original vaccines.
Fall vaccination campaign could avert 160,000 U.S. deaths, analysts project
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 27, 2022
Fully 160,000 deaths and 1.7 million hospitalizations could be averted if 80% of the eligible U.S. population received COVID-19 booster doses this fall, the Commonwealth Fund estimates in a new report.
Only 4 states have hit 75 percent LTC staff vaccination goal, new CMS data reveal
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 30, 2021
States that have achieved the industry’s June 30 goal are Hawaii, Vermont, Alaska and California, with staff member vaccination rates ranging from 83% to 75%. By contrast, the lowest-ranked state...