Ensure your facility stays vigilant and ready to respond to COVID-19

 

To: Residential care facilities (Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Group Homes, and Intermediate Care Facilities)    From: CDPHE Residential Care Strike Team and Infection Prevention Program   We appreciate your continued efforts to protect residents and staff at your communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by practicing effective infection control measures, maintaining surveillance/outbreak testing compliance, overcoming staffing challenges, timely reporting of COVID-19 related data, remaining responsive to CDPHE communications, and ensuring your community has access to COVID-19 vaccinations.   These efforts remain important as we continue to monitor COVID-19 variants. It is critical facilities are vigilant and prepared to respond to updated guidelines/information and maintain COVID-19 surge capacity.   COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and even dying. As with vaccines for other diseases, people who are up to date are best protected. CDC recommends that everyone aged 5 years and older get their primary series of COVID-19 vaccine, and everyone aged 12 years and older also receive a third (booster) dose.   You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations when you have followed the current recommendations listed here. The recommendations will be different depending on your age, health status, and when you first got vaccinated.   Many people who are immunocompromised may need an additional dose as part of their primary vaccine series.   A third (booster) dose of COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for everyone aged 12 years and older. Timing of these doses varies based on COVID-19 vaccine product and immunocompetence.   COVID-19 vaccination schedule Available at:    https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/interim-considerations-us.html#recommendations COVID-19 vaccination schedule for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised   Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/clinical-considerations/interim-considerations-us.html#immunocompromised Sources and resources:   Vaccine Clinic Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities CDPHE COVID-19 Long-Term Care Vaccination website  CDC Interim Clinical Considerations for Use of COVID-19 Vaccines Currently Approved or Authorized in the United States Interim COVID-19 Immunization Schedule for Ages 5 and Older (CDC) Stay Up to Date with your COVID-19 Vaccines (CDC) COVID-19 Vaccination Clinical & Professional Resources (CDC) CDPHE Residential Care Facility Comprehensive Mitigation Guidance   Take the time now to: Review the COVID-19 ongoing vaccination plan for your facility and make any updates to the plan, as needed. Contact your vaccine provider. This may be a long-term care pharmacy, retail pharmacy, local public health agency, or another resource your facility can utilize to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for residents and staff consenting to receive the next vaccine dose for which they are recommended and eligible to receive. Consult the CDPHE COVID-19 Long-Term Care Vaccination website for further information and resources.