Distribution and waste concerns are top of mind for operators waiting on COVID-19 booster shot plans in the fall, with some recalling timing and logistics issues tied to the initial vaccine rollout.
Kevin Morris, president of BaneCare Management in Massachusetts, said the 11-facility company is looking to have vaccine distribution happen at a more rapid pace this time around, especially if facilities can go through long-term care pharmacies already being utilized for medication fulfillment.
“We’re in a wait mode right now,” Morris told Skilled Nursing News. “I think it’s a great thing, I think the booster is needed. We’re seeing numbers rising within the state of Massachusetts, and I welcome a booster shot, but once again we need to see how the government officials and the experts want to roll this out.”
The Biden administration is expected to make a decision this week regarding COVID-19 booster shots to the wider population, starting with nursing home residents and health care providers, according to reports by multiple media outlets including The Washington Post.
Just days ago, the administration’s top health officials said it was unclear when the wider population would need booster shots — however data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helped convince officials of the need for boosters, according to a Politico report.
Booster shots could be available eight months after the first two mRNA shots for Pfizer and Moderna, or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson, beginning in late September.
Nursing homes saw 2,059 new resident cases the last week of July, according to data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS); new staff cases were much higher for the same week at 3,265.
The delta variant has been behind 80% to 87% of all COVID cases in the U.S. during the last two months of July, according to data reported by the CDC.
About 82.4% of residents and 60% of staff per facility are vaccinated, CMS reported.
Morris is unsure if the push for booster shots will aid in vaccine education efforts, and ultimately staff vaccination rates.
“That’s a big question at hand,” Morris said. “In Massachusetts, the governor has set a mandate for [Oct. 10] to have all employees and vendors … to have all of those employees vaccinated.”
The term “vendor” refers to an outside therapy company, housekeeping, laundry company or something along those lines, Morris said. BaneCare has not mandated the vaccine for its staff.
“We’re at such a pivotal point right now where people are being mandated to take the vaccine to keep their jobs. There are a lot of feelings out there, but people want to stay and work with their residents, their family members that they’ve been working with for years,” added Morris.
About 77% of BaneCare staff is vaccinated, and 92% for residents as of Aug. 4, Morris noted.
Any booster plan the Biden administration settles on would still need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a CDC advisory committee.
Associations are ready to urge health officials to prioritize their members and residents for the first round of booster shots.
“We continue to have ongoing discussions with federal officials about COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including the possibility of booster shots,” the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said in a statement. “Should that be the case, we would urge public health officials to prioritize long term care residents and staff to ensure they have efficient access to vaccines.”
While cases indicate most people remain protected against serious illness from COVID-19, variants included, Moderna president Stephen Hoge said during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that breakthrough cases within the first six months of vaccinations indicate a need for boosters to “get through the winter.”
Pfizer and Moderna officials told news outlets as early as May that a booster could be needed in September.
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