FDA OKs third antibody COVID therapy; variants spur new pause on another
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 01, 2021
A new COVID-19 treatment made by GlaxoSmithKline now is the third monoclonal antibody therapy federally authorized to help prevent severe disease outcomes in high-risk patients. But gene variants are interfering...
Nursing home staff vaccinations get a boost thanks to New York mandate; delta ups jabs nationwide
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 29, 2021
By midnight of its Monday deadline, New York state saw vaccination rates rise to 92% among nursing home and hospital workers, according to a new report.
Dehydration plagues nursing home residents with COVID in facility study
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 16, 2021
Clinically significant dehydration is very common among residents with COVID-19 — especially those with dementia or delirium, investigators found. Care providers should be ready with IV fluids and a...
Lawsuit challenges nursing home liability protections for non-COVID death
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 27, 2021
Survivors of a former North Carolina nursing home resident are suing the facility where she died in what could be a litmus test for the patchwork of liability protections granted to healthcare providers...
Study: LTC residents with COVID-19 at risk for polypharmacy, new drug interactions
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 12, 2022
Across 41 Texas long-term care facilities, nearly 20% of residents with COVID-19 had drug-drug interactions related to treatment, and one-third continued new meds 30 days after diagnosis.
Diaries of infection preventionists offer peek into pandemic struggles
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 06, 2021
Real-time reports from the height of the pandemic offer a glimpse into the highs and lows infection preventionists faced as they tackled unprecedented challenges.
Ensign touts another record quarter, returns $23M in federal relief funding
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 30, 2020
The Ensign Group has returned another $23 million in federal coronavirus relief funding after achieving another “record quarter,” executives reported Thursday.
CDC: Two booster shots cut severe COVID risk in nursing home residents by 74 percent
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 03, 2022
Nursing home residents who received a second mRNA booster shot during omicron were much less likely to suffer severe COVID-19 outcomes than their peers who received only one dose, a new study shows.
BREAKING: CMS sets new vaccination targets for another 24 states
By
James M. Berklan
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 14, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Friday that providers in 24 states added to the federal vaccine mandate roster Thursday have until March 15 to become fully vaccinated.
LTC, community pharmacies vie for role in federal COVID vaccine initiative
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 23, 2020
Nursing home and assisted living operators should talk with their existing pharmacy provider about their capability to participate in the federal government’s new COVID-19 vaccine delivery program,...