Second COVID-19 Booster OK’d For Adults 50 and Older

People over the age of 50 who have received an initial booster dose at least four months ago may now receive another, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday. The Food and Drug Administration recommended a second booster dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Modena COVID-19 vaccine and the Centers for […]

LTC Pharmacies Want Better Clarity as Booster Shot Rollout Begins

After receiving a thumbs up from both the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month, the work now begins for long-term care pharmacies to administer COVID-19 booster shots for nursing home residents and staff. Others eligible for a third Pfizer shot include those ages 50 to 64 who […]

As SNFs Prep for COVID Vaccination, Questions Remain for Frontline Workers on Speed and Credibility

With two COVID-19 vaccines officially authorized for use, the immunization of health care workers and long-term care facility residents is finally underway in earnest. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) COVID-19 vaccine on December 11 and to Moderna’s (Nasdaq: MRNA) on December 18. There are several considerations […]

BD Exec: Antigen Tests Are Reliable on COVID-19, But Community Spread Plays Role in False Results

The federal government’s push to send out rapid point-of-care antigen test for COVID-19 to all nursing homes officially wrapped in the early months of autumn. But for many skilled nursing facilities, the use of the tests was fraught, with questions lingering about accuracy and refills of supplies. Those concerns began to ease as fall wore […]

HHS Warns Against Using Antigen Results for Nursing Home Cohorting, But Sharply Criticizes State Ban

A top U.S. coronavirus testing czar had harsh words for a Nevada directive banning the use of antigen point-of-care COVID-19 tests in skilled nursing facilities during a press call on Friday, calling it “an uninformed and unlawful unilateral prohibition.” But Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary for health Adm. Brett Giroir also […]

Feds to Require Nursing Home Staff Testing as Often as Twice Weekly, But Antigen Follow-Ups Not Always Needed

Nursing homes will be required to test staffers for COVID-19 as often as twice weekly depending on the prevalence of the virus in the surrounding community, and a top federal official emphasized that repeat testing for negative antigen results may not be necessarily required in all cases. The White House late Tuesday initially revealed the […]