Nursing homes have been doing an impressive job in making sure residents are up-to-date with COVID-19 shots and protected from serious illness this winter, federal data show. And for those who want to encourage more residents and staff to get the bivalent booster vaccine, there are new data and support materials to be shared.
A multistate, real-world study has confirmed that bivalent booster vaccines do a better job at offering short-term protection against symptomatic COVID-19 infections in adults than the older monovalent vaccines.
When compared to two, three or even four doses of first-generation vaccination, a bivalent booster dose is more effective in preventing infections that lead to emergency department and urgent care visits or hospitalization, according to researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine.
The bivalent vaccines were developed specifically to improve protection against circulating omicron variants and the waning of monovalent vaccine-conferred protection over time, the researchers noted.
The results support the usefulness and importance of these newer vaccines while multiple respiratory viruses are circulating, they said.
“These findings support efforts to improve coverage with bivalent vaccines, although optimal timing for receipt of bivalent vaccine booster doses needs to be established,” they wrote.
Booster education
In the meantime, nursing home advocates have released a new handout designed to help clinical staff explain why it is so important to get a COVID-19 booster shot.
The handout, provided by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, explains what the bivalent booster is, and covers some commonly asked questions, including:
- Why is it important to get this booster even if I’ve already received a previous [monovalent] booster?
- Why get boosted if I might get COVID-19 anyway?
- Why do I need to get a booster shot if I have already had COVID-19?
- Is the bivalent booster safe?
“We encourage you to use this handout to discuss the value of getting the bivalent booster this winter with all your unboosted residents and/or their families or resident representative,” AHCA/NCAL stated.
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