The time is now for aging service providers to begin preparing on-site COVID-19 vaccine booster clinics, according to eldercare advocate LeadingAge.
With infections now surging in parts of the United States due to the delta variant, booster doses may be needed to maintain strong vaccine protection, the organization said in a Tuesday statement. Facility operators and administrators can begin taking the steps needed to offer a third dose to eligible staff members and residents, it added.
The U.S. government last week said it will be prepared to offer COVID-19 booster shots to vaccinated Americans beginning on Sept. 20, depending on the results of a safety and effectiveness study and a data review by independent advisers. If and when boosters are approved, individuals will be eligible for a shot starting eight months after they received their second dose of an mRNA vaccine (either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna).
For many residents and staff members in skilled nursing facilities who received their shots in January, Sept 20 is the eight-month mark. Aging services providers can start getting ready by gauging staff and resident interest in getting a third shot. The next step is to get in touch with a pharmacy provider about hosting an on-site clinic. This could mean contacting local pharmacies and/or the pharmacies they have previously worked with on flu or COVID-19 vaccinations, LeadingAge said.
There are 21 retail pharmacy partners — including long-term care pharmacies — participating in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination, with more than 41,000 locations online and administering doses nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some pharmacies may have a lower limit of requested doses (such as 30) in order to organize a clinic, LeadingAge noted. Smaller providers and those who can’t reach these numbers with staff and resident demand alone can consider partnering with another operator to bring up their numbers. Inviting residents’ and staff’s family members to sign up for an extra dose is another option, it said.
This also may also be a good time to encourage first shots among the unvaccinated, the organization added. “Many pharmacies have reported offering first, second or third shots to eligible people at the same clinic,” it noted.
Some long-term care providers have told McKnight’s that they may combine booster shot administration with their well-established flu vaccine clinics in order to further simplify the booster shot process.
Federal officials continue to gather evidence on the need for and effectiveness of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was authorized for emergency use about 70 days after Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines were authorized.
Meanwhile, the highly transmissible delta variant along with waning vaccine effectiveness over time is contributing to upticks in cases and infections, including some breakthrough cases in vaccinated residents.
