A doctor injecting a senior with a vaccine booster shot
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The National Healthcare Safety Network has modified its definition of “up to date” for long-term care facilities submitting their COVID-19 data to the system. It comes in the wake of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s making the move earlier.

The NHSN now considers individuals up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, during the October 2021 – June 2022 surveillance period, if they’ve received all recommended doses in their primary vaccine series and received at least one booster dose. 

Individuals currently don’t need to receive a second booster dose to be considered up to date, officials with NHSN wrote in its May 2022 guidance to providers.

Individuals who have recently received all recommended doses in the primary vaccine series and are not yet eligible for a booster dose are also considered to be up to date, according to NHSN. 

NHSN is expected to again update its surveillance definition of “up to date” for Quarter 3 reporting during the week of June 27. 

The CDC recently changed its up to date definition after it decided to strengthen COVID-19 booster recommendations for seniors. The agency now says that those 50 and older should receive a second booster four months or more after their first booster to be considered up to date with their shots. 

The change came after the agency noticed a steady increase in cases and hospitalizations among people 50 and older.