COVID shot boosters for all adults will help to reduce confusion, FDA says
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 22, 2021
The FDA “heard loud and clear” that a simpler booster strategy was needed, its vaccine chief says. But the action may be too late to head off a winter virus surge, observers say.
CMS vaccination rule could outlast COVID-19 pandemic
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 19, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services could opt to keep its new COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers beyond the public healthcare crisis, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family...
Monoclonal antibodies excel in treating COVID-19 breakthrough cases, Mayo Clinic says
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 19, 2021
Monoclonal antibody treatment lowers the odds of hospitalization by 77% in patients with COVID-19 breakthrough infections, investigators say. These SARS-CoV-2 reinfections have become more common in long-term...
Smartphone technology helps seniors with mild dementia complete daily tasks, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 18, 2021
Despite the pervasive notion that older adults dislike technology, participants enjoyed learning to use smartphone memory apps and were able to improve their daily prospective memory performance over four...
Fed’s booster OK too late? Nursing home loses 8 to coronavirus outbreak this fall
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 17, 2021
A Connecticut nursing home has weathered a facility-wide COVID-19 outbreak that has sickened 89 residents and staff. Booster shots were not yet authorized when the first cases appeared, the operator reports.
Providers press CMS on COVID-19 vaccination for surveyors
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 16, 2021
Updated nursing home COVID-19 visitation guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services was widely welcomed by long-term care providers Monday, but stakeholders are still seeking more...
‘Universal and persistent’: Surfaces near nursing home beds may harbor coronavirus for days
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 16, 2021
Surfaces in 90% of COVID-19 patients’ rooms were contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, most commonly bed and TV remote controls, nurse call buttons, window sills and door knobs, investigators say.
Providers still can’t limit surveyor access or ask for proof of COVID vaccination, CMS says
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 15, 2021
Long-term care facilities are not allowed to restrict access to surveyors based on their vaccination status or ask them for proof of vaccination as a condition of entry, according to updated guidance from...
‘How good are those vaccines now?’ Mixed AARP nursing home report prompts a thorny question
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 15, 2021
A new AARP report shows encouraging trends in COVID-19 cases and vaccinations. But the steady rate of resident deaths raises concerns for the future as vaccine efficacy wanes, analysts say.
Booster shots fighting for attention with vaccine mandates as initial immunity starts to wane
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 12, 2021
Long-term care providers pushing to get holdout staff fully vaccinated against COVID-19 now have an added concern: Convincing already inoculated workers to get booster shots as their immunity from the...