HHS to extend PREP Act protections for pharmacy workers after end of PHE
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 16, 2023
Pharmacy providers will continue to have liability immunity when administering COVID-19 and vaccinations, treatments and tests after the end of the Public Health Emergency, the Department of Health and...
Use the ‘5 C’s’ to tackle COVID vaccine hesitancy, physicians say
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 04, 2021
The reasons for vaccine hesitancy — a delay in acceptance or refusal to be vaccinated — can be boiled down to five important factors that may help clinicians understand and better approach this issue,...
APIC expert urges mask-wearing in LTC, despite guidance switch
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 04, 2022
Despite a recent shift in CDC guidance, now is not the right time for long-term care providers to relax masking and other source control use, says infection preventionist Deb Burdsall of APIC.
Pandemic has taken significant toll on patients with dementia, geriatricians say
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 26, 2022
The pandemic has hastened the cognitive decline of patients with dementia in unprecedented ways, doctors confirm. Despite rising cases, clinicians must emphasize socialization, they say.
Senior living community logs 21 breakthrough cases after being COVID-free for 15 months
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
May 25, 2021
Riverview Retirement Community in Spokane, WA, has a 98% COVID vaccination rate among residents, but an outbreak has occurred among the vaccinated. Despite varied symptoms, cases so far have not been severe,...
FDA set to approve two COVID-19 antiviral pills this week
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 22, 2021
FDA is expected to grant emergency use authorization to two antiviral COVID-19 pills this week, possibly as early as today, according to Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the matter.
White House: COVID treatments should be part of ‘routine’ clinical care at nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 11, 2022
Nursing homes are on the front lines of not just preventing COVID-19, but also increasingly treating it, as more deaths from the disease shift from hospitals to that setting, officials say.
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.
FDA no longer requires positive COVID-19 test to prescribe Paxlovid, Lagevrio
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 01, 2023
The FDA on Wednesday made it easier for clinicians to prescribe these antiviral drugs in cases where transmission is evident and the patient is at high risk of severe illness.
Volunteer staffing initiative supports COVID antibody infusions in long-term care
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 04, 2021
A coalition representing LTC facilities has announced a new initiative to connect LTC operators to Medical Reserve Corps volunteers for help in administering monoclonal antibody infusions to residents...